


Beyond the Visible - The Ghostfox

by Shiroyama_Yuurei



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Uchiha Sasuke, Demon/Human Relationships, Demons, Foxdemon, M/M, NaruSasu - Freeform, Seme Uzumaki Naruto, Yaoi, boyslove
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 08:54:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 31,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiroyama_Yuurei/pseuds/Shiroyama_Yuurei
Summary: The young fox demon Naruto fears for his life when humans hunt him through the forest in lust for murder and his fall down the steep cliffs smash his bones .Just as he thought he was going to die, freezing in the water of the riverbed in the seemingly pure winter landscape, HE appears in front of him. Blind Sasuke finds the demon and takes him to his house to help him.In the end was there at least one human who wasn't a monster?
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 42
Kudos: 204





	1. Silent Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys and thanks for reading my fanfiction.
> 
> I have to admit I'm not a native speaker and I'm from Germany actually.  
> So please don't go so hard on me, when reading this fanfiction and noticing some mistakes or less English writing skills.
> 
> I hope you will like the story anyway! Leave some comments, if you like and now enjoy reading :D
> 
> \-----------------------------------------

In this deadly silent night  
snow falls on my outstretched hand  
and as the snow melts on my skin  
you fade  
  
Once more, only once  
Say my name  
Even if I scream now  
my voice cannot reach you anymore.  
  
Forever trapped in a world,  
in which I cannot even say "I love you"  
I quiet down as the snow falls down on me  
like on this day  
Wishing that I understood earlier,  
that time is not endless.  
  
\----------------------------------------

Hounded, the steps hurried through the thicket of the forest.

Driven by fear and uncertainty as to whether these might be the last seconds of his life, the boy ran through the darkness.

"There he is! Don‘t let him escape! "

Rough, harsh voices pursued him, coming closer with every breath.

Voices that promised him death, should they reach him.

The blond hastily jumped into the bushes, behind which lay a steep slope and an almost endless gorge.

He was trapped.

"Now we’ve got you, you monster!"

In panick, the boy backed away from the men, whose raised hoes and pitchforks were threateningly aimed at him. What did they want from him? What had he done to them? Why did they hate him? He did not understand it.

"I'm not a monster!" He screamed in tears. He had reached the edge of the ledge, the cold evening breeze swaying his slender figure.

A malicious, derisive laugh escaped the men, whose lust for murder was almost palpable.

"Not a monster? You are all the same! Seducing our women before the vengefulness devours you! Death is the only thing you deserve, fox demon! "

Startled, the blond backed away from the slash of the hoe, losing his footing.

Out of reflex, he clung to the hard edge, trying to pull himself up again.

He looked in panic into the abyss, its depths hidden by a dense fog. He would die. Now.

One last look at the men, who looked down at him with satisfaction and finally gave him a hard kick in the face, to let him fall into the depths mercylessly.

Black.

◊◊◊

Night, silence and the coldness that came with the onset of winter.

Actually, he should be home, cuddled up in a warm blanket and sleep. But rest was out of the question, so he walked restlessly through the darkness, as he often did, since that day.

Absently, the black-haired boy walked down the dark path along the river bed, pausing, as he had the metallic scent of fresh blood in his nostrils, a choking sigh directly following.

Pain pierced the blondes body, who did not know how he had survived the fall, did not know if he should be grateful to remain in this world, or desperate because the winter’s cold would kill him now.

The fox demon winced in fear when he saw another human staring at him. He could barely see him, numb with pain and exhaustion, his eyes already clouded.

Did he belong to them? Did he want to kill him? Was it not enough? Questions the blond had no answers to.

Exhausted and completely frozen, he lay in the icy waters of the riverbed, blood running across his pale face. Tired, the fox closed his eyes, felt the cold slowly spreading inside him. What was this human waiting for? He should just finish it.

Carefully warm, almost affectionate arms wrapped around the demons, who was lying on the ground, pulled him out of the icy water. Amazed, Naruto opened his eyes and studied the stranger, who threw a dry, warming haori over him in that very moment.

"You will freeze if you stay here. My house is close, come on. "

Still visibly puzzled, the blond let himself be helped, felt the pain in every single bone and still could not help but follow the stranger who supported him on the walk.

Why did he do that? Did he just want to trap him, hurt him? No, it did not sound like that. Something was different about him. He did not seem to hate or judge him.

The black-haired guy silently led the fox demon along the snow-covered mountain path to his hut.

A small, completely isolated wooden hut, in the middle of the forest.

Naruto looked sceptically at the house.

Why didn’t he live in the village? Were humans not herd animals? He wasn’t sure at all, had gained little experience with them so far.

He just hoped it really wasn’t a trap.

◊◊◊

Still fascinated, the fox demon gazed at the boy, who tended to his wounds, even offered him a warm meal, not speaking more than necessary.

Why?

Doubtful, Naruto looked at the tasty smelling soup in front of him. Was it poisoned?

No, why should he take care of him, only to poison him then? This wouldn’t make sense.

On the other hand, he had experienced it, the dark side of the people. The side that wished him death and hunted him as if he was a wild animal.

Blinded by hatred and murder, they had persecuted him, leaving no doubt that they wanted him to be dead.

Was this man the same?

"It is not poisoned," Sasuke countered, as if he had read the thoughts of the fox.

Naruto looked suspiciously at the boy, who seemed to be about as young as he was when he saw the dim glow in the grey irises of the black-haired.

"You ... are blind?" He asked surprised, for he had not noticed it at all.

Was it because of that that the boy did not judge him? Because he could not see that he was a demon?

"Does it matter? You can stay tonight, but you should set off at dawn. " Sasuke replied quietly, then set about eating his own meal. He had not always been blind, but the memory of those days was only vaguely in his mind. It was a long time ago, very long.

Naruto kept looking at the boy curiously, but finally began to eat himself, albeit a little reluctantly.

The soup warmed his cool body, slowly thawing his frozen limbs.

It was the first time he had eaten something like that, but it tasted good.

The two ate their meal in silence, the fire crackling softly under the cauldron.

It was strange, Naruto thought to himself. This boy could not see him, was completely alone and yet he seemed as if he was not afraid. Fear that crept up within himself, if only he thought of being in his position.

But it was none of his business. He would accept the offer of his saviour, spend the night in his house and disappear in the morning.

"I only have one futon. That's all I can offer to you. "

The Uchiha broke the silence once again as he put their used dishes aside. Confused, Naruto looked up. Had he just offered him his own bed to sleep in?

He could not accept that, not even considering his injuries.

"We can share it," he suggested, smiling before he realized that Sasuke could not see it anyway. Did he regret being blind? He would ask him, but it was none of his business.

At dawn, their paths would separate again. Sasuke was just a human.

Demons and humans could not be friends, even he was aware of that.


	2. Twisted

The fox demon lay sleepless beside his rescuer, staring at the pale wooden ceiling. He just couldn’t find rest at all. Whether it was due to his company, to the events of the day or because he was still suffering the pains of his fall, he couldn’t tell. So many things had happened.

Things he didn‘t really want to think about and that still kept him awake.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying once more to rest. Rest that he really needed after this day.

He did not know how much time had passed, if he had slept at all, when a low, almost silent sound ripped him out of the depths of his twilight state. What was that?

It took a moment before the blond finally opened his eyes, glanced around the room, vaguely aware of the silhouette of his rescuer, who had already disappeared through the door the next moment. Where did he want to go?

Frantically, the blond rubbed his eyes. Was it already morning? No, it was still dark.

Why did the black-haired leave his house in the middle of a bitter, stormy winter's night?

The curiosity drove the blond out of bed. He wanted to know.

Quietly, he stalked after the Uchiha, who had followed the narrow mountain path a little further and finally stopped abruptly.

Naruto looked around confused. What did he want in the middle of the night in a place like this? There was nothing to see, except for a massive rock face, ice and heaps of snow.

Was this boy stupid? Naruto was not sure yet he resisted the urge to speak to him. Evidently Sasuke had not noticed him.

Lost in thought, the black-haired stroked the block of stone in front of his eyes, pushing the snow from the surface, while a dull, drawing pain appeared in his chest.

Startled, Naruto realized that the other was standing in front of a tombstone, the icy wind weighing the black strands of the human’s hair.

He did not move, just stood there, silent in the middle of the icy, snowy landscape.

Not a single sound came over the lips of the Uchiha, no tears streaming down his cheeks, and the light, milky skin at that moment seemed almost as white and lifeless as the snow that slowly covered it.

Carefully, Naruto approached him, feeling magically attracted to the scene. He could feel it, the grief of this human.

The turmoil with which he fought and externally but showed no sign of what emotions raged inside him.

His face did not betray the emotions raging inside of him.

A crack caused the blond to flinch when he noticed he had stepped on a branch. Sasuke also raised his head in alarm, pulling his hand away from the cold stone.

Slowly he turned to Naruto, he knew it was him. He could feel it, the demon's aura.

The blond looked at him apologetically, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"I ... so I did not want to spy on you at all. I just wondered where you wanted to go in the middle of the night. "

"I told you, you can stay the night, but you have to go by dawn," Sasuke replied and stepped past him, walking back the narrow path to the house without giving the fox a chance for a question.

Naruto looked after him in confusion, but turned his gaze back towards the tomb.

Was that why he lived alone? They were dead, his family.

A sharp pain ran through the blond’s heart, he felt the sorrow and the suppressed feelings of this other boy so clearly in his own chest; but came to his senses in the same breath.

He should not think about it. People were all the same. They were beasts, the true monsters, hunting their own to enrich themselves.

He would not fall for this.

He took one last look at the cold stone before he followed the black-haired back into the house.

◊◊◊

Yawning, Naruto rolled over to the other side, snuggling up against the pleasant heat source beside him, while the morning sun lit the sparse room in thick rays. He did not want to get up. It was way too soft and comfortable.

Soft?

Tired, he opened his eyes, saw the black hair in front of his nose and jumped backwards.

Sasuke sighed softly, he had been trying to get out of bed for a good ten minutes. Unsuccessfully, because the fox had clung to him as if he was the essence of his life.

He rose silently from his bed, gathered the futon, and put it in the corner. One never would have guessed that he was blind. He moved with incredible certainty, like a perfectly healthy person.

Only a close look into the dull grey eyes revealed his true fate and once more the question of arose in Naruto. Inwardly he shook his head as he caught himself with this question. It was none of his business. The stranger was a human. Only one of many. One of thousands.

One who had helped him.

He hesitated. He did not even know his name.

"It is morning. You should leave. " Sasuke said and suddenly tore him out of his thoughts.

"Huh-?" Naruto replied in surprise, as if he had not understood him.

"You have to go!", The Uchiha said with more emphasis this time.

Irritated by the sudden rugged, cold nature of the blind boy, Naruto straightened up. What was wrong with him?

"But-"

"GO"

The fox retreated in shock, feeling the cold rejection of the boy screaming at him out of sudden.

He had known it! They were all the same, those humans.

Without looking back, he stormed out of the door, ran down the still-snowy path, and even the remaining pain did not stop him. Away. He just wanted to get away from them.

They were the real beasts, the true monsters. The humans.

The door was left wide open after the blond had stomped out; slowly it swayed in the wind, screeching quietly while the cold morning breeze carried the smell of snow and ice into the house.

Sasuke stood motionless in the middle of the room, feeling the cold slowly creeping back into his body. He had sent him away, the only one who had not judged him. The only one who might even have wanted to stay close to him.

But it was better this way. The stranger shouldn’t become like everyone else.


	3. The cursed One

He did not know how far he had run, whether it had been hours or just minutes, but his body forced him down to his knees.

Tired, the blond settled on an icy tree trunk, the thick haori around his shoulders still giving him sufficient warmth.

Lost in thought, he looked at the fabric. It was not his haori. This was human.

He dragged it furiously from his shoulders and threw it in the snow. He did not want it, did not want the pity of this human, only to be chased out afterwards.

Why had he done that? He didn‘t understand. Only slowly the confused spirit of the fox calmed down. No matter how many times he thought about it, it made no sense.

Heavy steps made him startle from his thoughts. Panicked, he looked around, saw a snowy depression under a ledge, and darted in. He did not want to fall victim to those brutes again.

Carefully, the fox demon peered out of his hiding place, recognizing two tall men.

"Hey!"

The blonde jerked back in shock. Did they discover him?

"What's that?", asked the larger of the two, kneeling beside the Haori that was still lying in the snow and picked it up.

"Such good fabric and it’s just lying around? What a waste! Now it belongs to me. ", Grinning, he put the Haori on, the coat of arms of the Uchiha clan clearly visible on the back.

"T-that- Take it off!" His companion stammered frantically, backing away from him in terror.

Amazed, the big man looked over his shoulder, recognizing the symbol of the clan and tore the fabric fearfully from his body.

"The cursed clan! This is the sign of the cursed clan! Let’s get out of here! "

Hastily, the two hurried away, leaving Naruto in deep confusion.

Only slowly he ventured out of his hiding place, looking at the fabric lying in the snow.

"Cursed Clan?" He repeated the words of the two men silently.

_"Do you want to know it?"_

Confused, the fox demon looked up and around. No one was there. Who said that?

 _"Without guidance you wander in world of humans, little demon. But do not be afraid. You were gifted something, that no human shall ever have. The spirits_ _of nature accompany you, show you the way. So tell me, little demon, do you want to know it, the secret of this boy? "_

"Who are you?"

Bewildered, Naruto cocked his furry ears and waited. Nothing. No sign of life, no movement. Only the soft whisper of this strange voice.

_"I am the spirit of the wind."_

"Spirit of the Wind?" Naruto repeated softly, looking down at the soft fabric in his fingers. Did he want to know?

"What does that mean?" He asked quietly, feeling the curiosity continue to swell inside him. Yes, he wanted to know, this secret.

Softly the cold wind played around him, gently whispering the answer to his question.

_"Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a clan as powerful as the demons themselves. The high priests of this clan cared for the shrines of the gods, the spirits, and even the demons. A time when humans and demons lived in harmony almost peacefully. But humans have a dark side. Greed for power drove them to subdue the most powerful demon. They hunted her, the white vixen and had no idea what fate sealed them. It is said that who dwells in their vicinity, longer than a day, must die. The curse that also befell the boy's family. He's the last of them. The last of the Uchiha clan. "_

Naruto stared at the fabric in his hands, unable to believe what he just had heard. That was it, the secret of the blind boy?

_"If you want to know the whole truth, you just have to walk in his memories._

_But remember: never play with time, because nothing can bring it back. "_

The voice of the spirit disappeared in the soft whisper of the wind, whistling through the stony mountains.

Still completely overrun by all the facts that had just been revealed to him, the blond straightened up again. If he wanted to know the whole truth, then he had to walk in the memories? He remembered the abilities that rested inside him.

But should he really risk it?

The cursed clan. A clan whose dark side had turned against the fox spirits, had hunted them. What should be different about this boy? He was one of them.

Still indecisive, the blond quarrelled with himself. The desire to know more, to satisfy his curiosity, could not be shaken off and yet they were accompanied by his concerns. He shouldn‘t and yet he could not help wanting it.

◊◊◊

Surprised, Sasuke raised his head as he heard footsteps. Footsteps that seemed strangely familiar to him. Nobody came voluntarily in his vicinity. Everyone knew about the fate of his clan.

It went quiet suddenly. Somewhat irritated, the black-haired listened to the silence.

Only the wind whistled through the bare trees, but he was not alone. He could feel it, the warm chakra of the blond.

"I told you to go. Get lost! " He hissed at him, not sure from which distance he was watching him.

Pouting, Naruto pushed his lower lip forward. Why was that guy snapping at him again? He hadn’t done anything to him. A bit gruff, he threw his Haori towards him.

"I wanted to bring this back," he replied, but he did not move.

"Besides ... I owe you something."

Surprised, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. What should he owe him?

"You saved me. I can not just leave without thanking you. "

A small grin lay on the blondes face. He was a fox demon, a proud, faithful being. It simply contradicted his nature to go without a word of thanks. That he casually wanted to know more about this person, he did not tell him.

"My name is Naruto."

"Just go.", Sasuke blocked the on-coming conversation, picked up the Haori from the ground and folded it.

"Eh?"

"You don’t seem to be the brightest bulb in the box at all.“

"Hey! Take that back! "

Shaking his head, Sasuke turned away and disappeared back into his hut.

Disgusted with this boy’s behaviour, the blonde stood watching him. It took him a few seconds to realize that the Uchiha had just left him.

"Hey!"

Angry, he stomped towards the house, slamming against the locked door.

"Open up now! You cannot just leave me outside here! What is wrong with you? First you rescue me and then you throw me out ?! "

Annoyed, the fox vented his anger, shaking the door. What was wrong with this person?

When he got no reaction after a few minutes, Naruto stopped, leaning his head against the door.

"Oh, come on ... don’t be like that..." he begged softly, then simply sat down at the door and waited. At some point he had to come out again. At least Naruto thought so.


	4. Destiny's Bonds

It was the beginning of a long, nerve-racking time, as the fox would discover soon. Even after more than three days of waiting, the door behind him had remained closed. It was cold, icy, and his stomach growled. But he did not want to move away until he knew the name of the boy who rescued him.

He sighed slightly annoyed, dropping his head against the wooden door. What was he doing in there? It was dead quiet, almost as if the house was completely empty.

The fox demon jumped on his feet, when it dawned at him. That could not-

He frantically rushed around the hut, pulling aside the cover of the small window he had completely forgotten.

"That asshole!" the demon burst out. The house was empty. Where had the black-haired gone?

A hard sneeze shook Sasuke as he bent once more to fill the second pitcher of water. Did he get sick? He really could not use that now; he already had enough to do to keep that damned fox off.

Yes, he knew that Naruto was a demon, but that was not why he wanted him to stay away.

He just did not want to be responsible for his death.

Silently he lingered in the memories of his clan for a moment, saw the carnage in his mind's eye and shook himself. No, never again.

Slowly, Sasuke walked back the steep, snowy path to his hut. Was the fox still sitting there? Why was he being so pushy? He must have noticed that he wanted to get rid of him. Either he was stupid or he was naive.

"HEY!", The Uchiha suddenly tore from his thoughts, while the unexpected fright staggered him, the two water jugs in his hands dangerously wavering.

With that the question had probably settled, whether the demon had disappeared in the meantime.

"Whoa! Be careful with those things! ", The blond wailed punitive when one of the pitchers almost hit him on the head. Out of reflex, he reached into the path of the black-haired, saving him from a hard fall.

"Phew, lucky you ... but hey, I don’t think it's right that you just ran away secretly!"

Pouting, he crossed his arms over his chest while Sasuke straightened up slowly.

"I told you to get out of my sight!" Sasuke hissed at him.

"No need to bitch like that. After all, I'm not deaf. "

"Apparently you are, if you follow me anyway! Get lost and leave me alone! "

Irritated, the black-haired turned away, stomping down the icy mountain path back towards the hut.

"Whoaah, why are you such a bitch!? I just wanted to say thank you, dumbass! "

For a moment the Uchiha paused. Thanks? Dumbass?! Uncertainty crept up inside him. He did not know it. The feeling that the demon caused inside him with these words.

"I..."

He wanted to reply, but the words stuck in his throat as he caught himself in that moment of weakness.

"I do not need your thanks, so leave me alone!"

Confused, the fox demon looked after him. What was that all about? Sasuke had hesitated, and the longer the blonde thought about it, the more obvious it seemed to him that the black-haired did not really want to be alone. Who was happy to be alone anyway? But why did he resist his own feelings?

"Wait!" Naruto shouted after him, catching up to him.

"At least tell me your name, and then I'll go."

Smiling, the blond looked at him, not bothered that Sasuke could not see it.

The black-haired, however, raised an eyebrow sceptically. He should tell him his name and then he would go? A strange feeling came over him.

"If I tell it, you'll go?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, I promise."

A few moments of silence, before the Uchiha answered.

"Sasuke."

"Hu?"

"My name is Sasuke. Now you know my name, so go. "

A broad grin lay on the fox's face.

"Sasuke, okay."

He had what he wanted. A name was something meaningful in his eyes, and the fact that the black-haired boy had told him his own pleased the demon in a childishly naive way. Well, if you looked at it closely, he still was a child, as well as the human boy beside him.

At thirteen, he could afford to be naive.

Still grinning, he grabbed one of the water jugs, balancing it carefully beside Sasuke, whose lips were pressed into a thin line.

"What are you doing? You said you would go! "

"Ah yeah, I am going, back to the house with you ~"

The blond smiled triumphantly. He had really arranged the words properly.

Sasuke, on the other hand, did not seem to be happy about this. He had been fooled. The blond had deliberately cheated him. That would not happen again.

"Tch ....", he hissed, turning away from Naruto and continuing on his way.

Naruto followed cheerfully, grinning happily, watching as Sasuke and his water pitcher climbed elegantly through the window into the house. It was really amazing how well the blind boy moved.

Filled with euphoria, he wanted to do the same, but he smashed his head against the thick wooden plate, which now locked the window again. Perplexed, he stared at the dark wood, completely ignoring the dull throbbing pain in his forehead.

"EHHHHHHHHHH!", Naruto yelled. What why-?

"Sasukeee ... you cannot do that ...", he wailed, staring insulted at the wooden board. What was that? He had not done anything wrong, even helped him. Why did the guy lock him out anyway?

"Come on Sasuke, let me in ...", begged the fox, remained in place and waited.

Sasuke sighed in exasperation when the fox's moaning did not stop, even after minutes. The demon really set his teeth on edge. What did he want from him? Not a single fox demon came close to his clan. Not since that incident. Was Naruto really stupid? The thought no longer seemed so outlandish, because even after more than an hour the blondes nagging did not stop.

Whatever it was, he would not let him near him. Demon or not, he would prevent it, the binding of their destinies.


	5. Choices

"Slowly but surely I honestly believe you are not just dense, you’re simply stupid!" Sasuke blurted out, as even after two months the demon had not left him and had thoroughly spiced up his life. The few moments in which Naruto had disappeared had been limited to those in which he hunted to have something to eat or when he crawled into the cave near the hut to sleep in, sheltered from the cold.

Offended, the blond pushed his lower lip forward, folded his arms across his chest.

"If you weren‘t such a cold-blooded bastard, I wouldn’t have to put so much effort in staying!"

Silently, the Uchiha gritted his teeth. What did this guy just call him?!

"If you would just get lost, I wouldn’t have to be like that!" Sasuke replied testy.

He had really tried everything to get rid of him, had even gone so far as to throw a bucket of ice water over him to drive him away when the blond had slept in front of his door. Nothing worked.

"What's your problem? Just let me spend some time with you. After all, we are both alone and no one likes to be lonely. "

Sasuke froze at these words.

He could feel it, the honesty lying in these words. At first he had questioned the motive of the fox. The reason he was so persistent. He had always felt that more than simple gratitude was behind it. But now he sensed nothing but Naruto's desire to be close to him. This feeling, that they both could help eachother out of their loneliness.

Silently he stood in the midst of the slowly melting snow. It was spring, and as the snow melted, the wall of ice inside his heart began to grow thinner, no matter how much he fought it.

In the end, he too, was just a human being and people longed for bonds. They were not meant to be alone.

Naruto, on the other hand, had begun to develop a natural need for the Uchiha. The curiosity was still there, but now it was more than just the need to find out the truth. He had begun to feel it, his true feelings. No matter how repulsive the black-haired had been showing himself towards Naruto to drive him away, so little hatred and aversion really lay within his behavior. He resisted his own feelings. Why? The blond still did not know that. But he had made it his goal to find out.

He looked at the black-haired, who had fallen silent unexpectedly and had not moved a millimetre.

"Just do what you like." He gave up.

Sasuke could feel it. No matter what he would do, Naruto would not just disappear. Maybe he would eventually go if he got bored.

"Grouch," grunted Naruto softly, his furry ears twitching with excitement. He did it. Sasuke had turned in, if only subconsciously.

Grinning happily, he followed him into the house, looking around full of interest. The first time it had all seemed so bare and careless, but now, as the warm spring sun lit the room, it seemed somehow much friendlier.

"Are you always entering homes uninvited?", Sasuke finally tore him from his thoughts and pushed past him.

"Hu?", The blond answered surprised, as if he hadn‘t understood the question.

Sighing, the Uchiha shook his head. Somebody should say that foxes are intelligent. That was definitely not true for this one.

Silently the two sat opposite each other in the evening of this chaotic, exhausting day. Naruto had caught some fish, which were now roasting over the small hearth inside the house. It was Sasuke who broke the silence unexpectedly.

"Why is it so important to you to be part of my life? You can’t tell me it's just gratitude. No one goes that far just to be constantly rejected. "

Surprised, the fox rose his head and looked at him. Bullseye.

"Well, to be honest ..." he started softly, feeling that he had to be honest right now.

"... I was curious."

Sasuke was silent but seemed to know what interested the foxdemon.

"You are, an Uchiha, aren’t ya? But I'm not dead. I heard them talking, the villagers, and I was wondering what was behind it and apparently it was just a rumor. "

"You are incredibly stupid ...", Sasuke said dryly. He could not believe how lightly Naruto talked about these things. Didn’t the demons talk to each other about what actually happened?

"Eh ?! Why are you constantly insulting me? I'm not stupid! It makes sense!"

For you it does, Sasuke thought silently and sighed.

"The curse exists, but there is no time limit. The “when” differs for everybody and actually the curse promises disaster to those who are members of the clan or part of its history. "

It was true. There was no death curse on him, and yet, death was inevitable. Confused, Naruto looked at the black-haired boy.

"So they lied? The people from the village?" He asked softly, not sure what to do with these information.

"People only believe the things they see. There were repeated accidents near the clan and over the years this rumour developed. I don‘t care what they think so save any pity. "

The words of the black-haired were cold, emotionless. He meant it, as he said, he did not care.

"But aren‘t they like you?"

"Like me?" The Uchiha asked confused. What should that mean, like him?

"Just normal humans with the same character."

Naruto looked curiously at the black-haired, who didn‘t reply until a few seconds later.

"Are you like everyone else?"

Naruto looked uncertain at him, feeling the excited thump of his heart.

"Yes, I am a very ordinary person. I make mistakes, I have good as well as bad sides and yet people are not the same. Is not it the same with you? The fox demons? "

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Sasuke knew it! But, since when and how?

"When I found you.", The blond got the answer immediately and stopped again. Could the black-haired read his mind?

Sasuke, on the other hand, only shook his head slightly. It had obviously been obvious by the blondes reaction.

"Every living thing on this earth has chakra, an aura. I may be blind, but I can feel it"

He continued, lowering his eyes, the small fire reflecting matt in his dull eyes.

"You ... you knew-? But why ... why did you-? "

"…save you?"

The blond nodded.

"It was a fox demon cursing your clan. If you knew I was one of them, why did you save me? You could just have let me die, but you didn‘t ... "

There was a brief moment of silence before Sasuke raised his eyes again and faced Naruto, his deep blue eyes reflecting in the blind irises.

"It's not our heritage that makes us who we are, but our character and our choices."

That was what he believed in. They could not influence how they were born, but they could decide which path they took.


	6. Fragile Emotions

The months and years moved passed by and the longer the young fox demon lingered near his human friend, the more her was fascinated.

Contrary to all assumptions, hatred didn’t devour the boy, his disability hadn’t taken the courage to continue living in a world that despised him, treated him like a leper, and in which he had no place among his peers or among the outcasts or demons, damned to lead a life in complete solitude.

But the words of the wind spirit did not escape the fox's mind.

If he wanted to know the truth, he had to dive into Sasukes memories.

So, late in the night, he lingered over the boy's bedside again and looked down at him, indecisive as to whether he should really exploit the tiny bit of trust that had been built up in the months between them to gratify his own curiosity.

Disruption plagued the fox demon, who finally backed away and sighed softly for himself. He could not do it. He had squatted over him often, tried to seize him, and then retreated. Sasuke had become too important to deceive him. He simply couldn‘t, as much as curiosity ruined him. He could not hurt him just to satisfy his own greed.

"You want to see it ... don’t you?" The black-haired finally whispered softly, his eyes still closed.

He had noticed it, his friend's attempts many times over the last few months, but he didn‘t seem to care.

Almost every night, the fox demon had perched next to his bed, looking down at him, and yet he had never given in to that urge.

Naruto winced in shock, looked at the Uchiha, of which he had assumed he would sleep. until a few seconds ago. Incredulous he looked at the young man.

"You know it?"

"It was not hard to guess," Sasuke confessed softly, half-opening his eyelids. The gray irises shimmered slightly in the pale light of the incoming moon, reflecting only Naruto's own face.

"Who can blame you? You want to see it? Then go. ", He spoke quietly, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling. What did he have to lose? Memories that lived inside him for so long. Whether he lived through it again didn‘t matter. His heart ached painfully at the images that were slowly conjured up inside him. Images that he repressed but could never forget.

Naruto, however, hesitated. He wanted to see it, wanted to know what had happened that fateful day and yet ...

The fox demon shook his head.

No, he did not want it. Not in this way.

"I'll see it when the time comes," he replied, crawling under the blind man's blanket for a moment, wondering.

Quietly, Naruto put his head to his friend's shoulder, seeking the warmth of the human being who had become so important to him in all this time.

"Thank you."

A faint whisper, like a shallow breeze, echoed in the furry ears as Sasuke slowly closed his eyes.

Naruto could have done it and yet he had renounced for his sake the knowledge that was so present before him.

A big gesture.

Confused about himself and his own actions, Naruto began to reflect on himself. Why was it so important to him not to hurt Sasuke? Why did he put that feeling beyond his natural instinct to gain knowledge? He did not know. He simply didn‘t know it and for the first time in a long time he felt overwhelmed. What should he do? He could ask the black-haired, but a mere narrative did not reveal the truth he desired.

Truth that slowly became trivial when he thought of the human being who was affected by it. He had wanted to know it, for his own sake and yet the curiosity had given way to the feeling of not hurting this person.

A feeling the demon didn‘t know.

◊◊◊

"Well if I see it right, we'll starve to death," the blind young man commented dryly when he heard it splash again. Another fox demon attempt to catch a fish.

"You don‘t see anything, so be quiet! I've already done a lot here! They are just so slippery! ", The demon complained and crossed his arms.

It was spring and he had promised to catch dinner for them now that the streams were full of fish. He was not the best fish catcher, that was for sure.

"I do not have to see anything for that. The sounds you make tell me everything, "Sasuke replied, who had waited four hours for his friend to catch them fishs ti eat. In the meantime, he already had picked up roots, tubers and vegetables, started to store some supplies and put a stew on top of them.

Things that had never really caught Naruto enthusiasm.

He preferred meat, fish and ... noodle soup. The only human meal that the demon absolutely loved.

Much to the surprise of the blind, who didn’t make much out of it at all.

"Oh? Then do it youself, if you think you can do it better! ", The fox moaned and began to sulk. Should his stupid blind friend try it alone, so completely without claws and only with his hands. As if he could do it, that pretentious guy.

"Now stop sulking. You said yourself, I should do it myself. Now you can not be offended that I caught something. "

"Hellooo? I'm not offended at all, and if I am it's only because it's completely unnatural. I am a demon and you are blind. How can you catch fish that slip from my fingers ?! ", the fox complained and bit into one of the mackerels roasted over the fire.

"It's all a question of technique," the blind man replied calmly, taking another sip of soup. What did the demon believe, how else to survive? But even a blind man was not fed up with roots, and he did not get help. So there was nothing left for him to do but to learn to live with this disability.

"I don’t get it anyway."

"And you say people are weird? You're not exactly normal for a demon either. "

The black-haired began to laugh softly. No, Naruto was pretty much the first demon who did not seem to know what he was doing.

"Are you just laughing at me seriously?"

Indignant, the fox demon looked at the man who seemed to enjoy himself so delicately.

"If you can laugh at someone seriously, yes."

"HEY!"

Once again the fox pouted out his lower lip. The guy couldn’t be serious! Who did he think he was making fun of him?

"I bet I can do stuff that you can not! I'm really cool and powerful. If I have my powers, I'll prove it to you. "

"Can’t wait to see that.“

Sasuke wiped a smile from the corner of his eye, then took a breath.

He had not laughed so warmly in years. It was good. Somehow, it was liberating. Strange, after such a long time and a little irritating, but liberating.

Not only the demon had begun to feel. The human heart also seemed to slowly lower the walls. Walls that had protected him for so long.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Why ... are you still here?", The Uchiha finally broke the silence.

The words sounded soft as the fox was about to take another bite of his fish. The demon paused.

A slight smile formed on the lips of the black-haired, who noticed how his question influenced the mood.

"You've been living with me for five winters. Five years in which you were no longer guilty of me and still remained by my side. That's a lot of time for us humans. "

Naruto pricked his ears and let his fish sink for a moment.

Much time? He had never worried about that. For daemons, time passed at a different pace and so far he had always considered them as the same age.

Sasuke's body had grown, like his.

"These are my memories that you desire and yet you have not made them your own. You have renounced. Why, if that's what keeps you here? "

Again, silence entered between them.

Silence the fox could not extinguish. He did not know the answer to that question.

"You're right. I owe you nothing. I want to see your memories, but ... "

The blond raised his head and looked directly at the young man whose dim eyes reflected the fire burning in front of them.

"... not for the reason that I wanted it at the beginning anymore."

Surprised, Sasuke lifted his head. What did that mean?

"At first ... I was curious because two men in the mountains mentioned this curse. A curse whose origin is known only to your soul and whose source would give me knowledge. Knowledge means power in the world of demons and power is everything that should mean something to a demon. But…"

Easily amused, the blonde snorted over himself.

"... I do not want to know, if it were about the price of your soul."

He was fully aware of what would happen if he infiltrated that person's soul. It could break. He could kill him and this idea tied the fox demon's throat. Not because he owed his own life to him. No. For a reason he did not know. A reason that remained inexplicable to him.

It was Sasuke, however, who had lost his speech now. He did not know what he should think about this situation. A demon that put a person's feelings above power? Unthinkable in their world and yet so real.

He did not know the rules and laws of the demons, knew them only from legends and his own memories. Memories that should have taught him that he had kept away from them, and that his life was atoning for the crimes of his clan, yet it was impossible for him to push Naruto away, to keep him away, or even send him away. The fox returned. Over and over again.

"I don‘t know why I want it. I just want to be ... with you. I do not know the reason. It just feels ... right. "

The blonde moved closer, insecure how he should behave. What did people do in situations like these? He was not human. Was it right to follow his intuition and act as he pleased? Was there any right or wrong?

"I just want to be with you," the demon whispered softly, leaning his head against the blind man's shoulder, lingering as if he wanted to listening to the silent approval of the man whose warming closeness had become so important to him.

◊◊◊


	7. Power

"FINALLY!"

Startled, Sasuke sat up as the fox demon's euphoric exclamation tore him from his sleep.

"What the-?"

He turned his head back and forth, trying to figure out what had happened. Still dazed, it was difficult for the blind to get a hold of the situation.

"Sasuke, look, I finally got my third tail!", was the excited answer of the fox, who darted through the house.

Sasuke, on the other hand, raised only an eyebrow. How was he supposed to see it and what was he supposed to do with this information? Third tail? He didn‘t understand it.

"Sasuke now look - .. oh."

Taken aback by his own stupidity, the fox stopped. He had completely forgotten that he was talking to a blind man. Not to mention to a blind person who could not know why this event was so special either.

Slowly he approached the blind, knelt by his side on his bedding to guide his hand.

"Feel it," he whispered to him, letting his friend's fingers stroke his fur.

Sasuke was still confused. Well, Naruto was a fox demon. Surely he possessed a tail or several?

The question was literally written on Sasuke's forehead.

"The third tail means that I am no longer a child. I can now use my powers properly and increase my power. Fox demons can grow up to nine tails. "

"That means you're a full-fledged demon now?"

"Hehe yes ... kind of."

Naruto was proud. He felt powerful. Now he would be able to defend himself if he was to be hunted again. No, he would be able to defend both of them. Himself and Sasuke.

He had not expected the side effects of his entry into the adult world.

Purring, he leaned against his friend, as Sasuke began to scratch him lost in thought.

It was a strange feeling.

Beside him sat a full-grown fox demon. A demon slowly nestling against him, eventually sinking into his lap to be stroked and cuddled as if he were a domesticated pet.

"That means I can protect us now and catch all the fish you want," Naruto hummed and stroked one of the tails over the back of the Uchiha.

"I want to see that," the blind man replied dryly, almost mocking, and the demon looked up, eyeing him with his ocean blue eyes.

See?

His hand moved up into the blind man's face, his fingers sliding gently over the young man's cheek.

"Say ... Sasuke. Since when…"

"For a very long time."

The Uchiha put a hand on his friend's, leaning slightly into his palm. He had expected the question for a while now.

"You want to know what the last thing I saw was, right?"

Naruto was silent. He had a dark foreboding feeling that he should not have asked this question, but Sasuke just shook his head slightly.

"It was the death of my family."

A stinging pain ran through the chest of the fox demon as he heard these words.

It was only a fraction of what Sasuke must feel.

“Everything was completely normal that evening. We sat together and had dinner when suddenly, fire broke out. The bells were ringing, everybody rushed into the open and my brother held my hand, ran with me through the fire, which couldn’t even be extinguished by the snow of the mountains. Black flames that couldn‘t be stopped by anything. "

The blinds chest felt tight as he saw the pictures in his mind's eye. As clear as they were that night.

"A white fox demon stepped through the bloody snow where my clan's corpses were burned to ashes in its flames, and my brother threw himself before me; the demon ripped his heart out with its fangs and crushed it in front of my eyes."

There was a pause and the eyes of the blind man filled with tears. He did not understand it. He had no chance to understand. Never.

"She looked down on me and hesitated. Her tails lashed to the floor beside me and finally she spoke. I would carry the burden of those who had taken everything from her. "

The Uchiha swallowed and wiped his eyes.

"She burned the pictures of that night into my eyes and took every chance from me to see anything else ever again. For twelve years now, I‘ve seen nothing but the suffering of that night and despite all this time I have no answer to why. "

Instinctively, the fox demon sat up and pulled the black-haired man close to him, put his arms around his quivering body, which suddenly seemed to freeze in motion.

"Stop it.", whispered the fox softly and felt his own stomach tightened.

Sasuke was silent. He was confused. Confused about Naruto's actions and his own feelings. He should have been more careful. He should never have revealed that much and yet, he believed he could say with certainty that Naruto was different. He was not one of those demons who were thirsting for power.

"I ... promise, I'll find answers and ..."

Slowly, the blond leaned his head against his friend's.

"... a way to break this curse."

◊◊◊

Silently, the blonde watched his friend, who was already preparing something to eat for them. Very much for his own delight, Naruto had managed to catch a whole deer for them. At first, the Uchiha had complained how they were supposed to eat and store all of this meat, but there was more than enough room in the demon's stomach for this problem to be solved. Also, he had now mastered the art of shapeshifting and could hide his tail and ears. Though, he preferred to be himself near Sasuke.

Naruto felt a strange sensation again. He wanted Sasuke close to him. He wanted to be near him. He could not imagine his life without this young man anymore, and yet he wanted to be even closer. Amongst demons, feelings were only distinguished into desire, fun and thirst for knowledge. But when he was watching his human like that, he did not really know where his strange emotion was coming from.

The night was clear and the full moon shone its light through the narrow window, while the crackling of the fire under the cauldron and the smell of cooked meat filled the room. Naruto didn’t pay attention to any of this. There was only one smell for him. His smell. As if in a trance, the demon watched every movement of the human, felt a desire rising inside him, which he hadn‘t felt ever before. Desire that he could barely suppress.

His gaze wandered over the human’s body, his blue eyes fixed on the face of his friend.

Slowly, almost silently, he stalked up to the blind man, unable to resist the urge anymore. He tore the human off his feet and to the ground, leaning over him.

"Ah-Naruto what-?", The Uchiha asked in surprise, felt the demon's nose rub along his neck.

"I don‘t know," the blond growled, humming at the smell in his nose.

"You smell so good."

Playfully he ran his nose along the soft skin of his friend, giving him the goosebumps.

"W-what's that supposed to mean, you don‘t know?"

"Sasuke ..."

Barely audible whispers, close and hot on his ear, made his body tremble. Almost lovingly the demon buried his head in the neck of his friend, his long nails running over the thin fabric of his kimono.

"N..Naruto s-stop this…nonsense ...!"

The fox grunted. Nonsense? His feelings weren’t nonsense. He wanted to be close to him. He was just about to crawl into him, sinking the teeth in his neck, and yet it was not hunger that drove him.

A soft gasp escaped Sasuke's lips as the blonde slid his tongue over his skin, tugging at the back of his neck with his teeth and pressing against him, pinning him to the floor.

"Hah..ah..Na..Narut..o ... stop ...!"

"I can‘t." The demon whispered excited, pressing their bodies together and starting to suck on his skin. He wanted him. Now. He should be his. His alone.

"I SAID NO!", Sasuke yelled again and dragged the demon off himself with some difficulty,

The kimono slipped off his shoulder, revealing the small marks the fox had just inflicted on him.

But his resistance only set off the hunting instinct of the demon.

Lust sparkling in his eyes, he looked at his work, licked his sharp canines, and straightened himself up a bit.

"I ... want you.", He breathed dark and commanding and approached the Uchiha again.

"I said stop!"

Sasuke didn‘t understand what was going on. What had gotten into the demon? Had he lost his mind?

He took the wooden ladl out of the pot and raised it in front of his friend.

"I’m warning you. Sit down ... and drop it or I'll hit you on the head! "

Confused, the fox demon blinked when he heard this threat. Sit? Down?

He laughed. Did he look like a trained lapdog?

He gripped the ladle and pushed it aside.

"I do not think so. You will do what I want and right now ... I want you ... "

Who did Sasuke think he was? He was a human. A simple human and he, Naruto, was a demon. Sasuke had to obey him.

After all, the demons were above humans.

But before the Blond saw it coming, Sasuke had given hm a smack with the ladle.

"I will do what?! You are insane!"

"OUCH!", The fox just moaned and touched his head.

"Did you just hit me …with the ladle? Seriously?!"

"I warned you!"

"YOU warned me? You have to obey!! "

"Obey to what?!"

"To my will!"

The blond spoke full of conviction. He was right. Sasuke had to submit to him.

"You’re crazy. You cn’t possibly believe this. "

The blind man up outraged and straightened his clothes.

"Go and find somebody else to play your games with."

"But ...!", The blonde stretched out his hand, wanted to pull the Uchiha back down. One more hit with the ladle, this time his fingers.

Taken aback, he looked at the blind man, shocked to be treated like that by somebody inferior to him.

"You can‘t do that, Sasuke! You must- ..."

"I need to die one day and nothing else. Keep it together or I'll kick you out ... and dare to bite me again. "

"But but ...!"

He couldn‘t just undermine him ?!

"No, and certainly not like that."

Sasukes heart was in his throat. He didn’t know how he found the strength to face down a grown demon, who made it very clear what he desired. But the Uchiha remembered the rituals of his clan, the stories and legends about the demons. He knew what had gotten into the fox demon. These demons were a symbol of fertility for a reason. Worshiped but also hunted by those who feared their influence.

"Sasukeee ...", the fox wailed again, creeping closer to his friend again but raised his hands innocently. He did not want to hurt him. He wanted love. To love him and be loved, physical closeness, lust and passion.

"I know my name and the answer is no."

He would advise Naruto to stick his head in the snow, if it were still there. Unfortunately, it was spring.


	8. Captured Heart

"Please?"

"No."

"Oh, come on ..." begged the fox.

Two weeks had passed and still the blind man did not let him come close.

He wanted sex. He wanted to love him, he desired him, he wanted to indulge in sin together with him, but the human refused decisively against this intention.

"But whyyyyy?" He wailed on, resting his head on his friend's thigh, and looked up at him. Not that Sasuke could have seen it, but he certainly felt it. At least, that’s what Naruto thought.

"Because I say so. If you need satisfaction use your hand or find a female. "

"But I want you…"

The demon sulked and drew small circles on the floor with his finger.

"That's mean…"

"Pardon? How is it mean that I don‘t want to be your bitch? "

"Because…"

Naruto hesitated for a moment.

Exactly. Why? He could just look for someone else ... no. No, it had to be Sasuke. Because he wanted it that way.

It could only be Sasuke, because he had decided that.

"Because I do not want another female."

"You are aware that I am not female?"

"It doesn’t matter to demons. Lust is lust. I do not know why you people care so much. Does’t matter at all. It’s the same, isn’t it?"

Naruto sighed and Sasuke's breath stopped for a moment. It doesn’t matter? It did not matter whether you gave yourself to a man or a woman? That’s not what he was taught.

"Can I at least touch you?"

"Touch me?" Sasuke asked confused. He thought something fishy was going on. Naruto was unpredictable when he had those hormonal surges, and he certainly did not feel like letting him have that much freedom. Maybe he was different, but a demon after all.

"Well ... yeah ... I mean ... I won’t do anything. I ... but I want to touch you ... "

"To touch me is what you call 'doing nothing'?"

"Yeah .. no ... well .. I won’t try anything. But ... we could cuddle and touch each other? "

Gently, the fox demon stroked one of his friend's arms.

"I’ll ... stop bugging you ... if you let me"

"OK."

Naruto widened his eyes. Was he dreaming?

"O..okay?" He asked cautiously.

"OK. You are allowed, but if you try anything funny... "

"... you castrate me by hand."

"Correct."

◊◊◊

The long claws of the demon pushed lovingly over the skin of the man who finally allowed him to touch him. Carefully, cautiously and trying to keep his instincts under control, Naruto stroked his slender body, gently kissing his neck and slipping the thin layers of fabric off of his friend's skin.

He purred at the excitement of his fingers and the sounds that escaped the black-haired.

"Your heart beats so fast ... and your skin feels like silk. I can not even tell you how much I longed to touch you that way. "

Naruto's words made Sasuke blush. What was the fox talking about? Was that normal? Did demons talk that way when they seduce someone? He did not know. He only knew that he should not forget himself during this game. Fox demons were masters of seduction, and while Naruto probably did not know or intentionally did so, those abilities were also dormant in him.

"Do not talk ... such nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. It's the truth."

The fox demon lowered his head amd purred, scattering playful kisses on the upper body of the blind man. Sasuke smelled so good and the reactions of his body drove Naruto downright insane.

The deep blue irises glowed eagerly as he moved his fingers slowly under the black-haired man's kimono.

"Ngh ~"

Sasuke bit his lower lip, feeling a new, completely unknown feeling.

They were no longer children, had become young adults over the years, and yet neither of them knew what it meant to be an adult.

Outcast children, left alone in a world that neither helped nor protected them. They didn’t know about these desires.

A deep groan escaped the black-haired, as the demon's tongue wrapped itself around the hard mind between his legs, playing around it, scraping his pointed teeth gingerly along his soft, pulsating skin.

The fox grunted at the exciting sounds of his friend, clearly sensing his own excitement under the wide layers of his clothing.

He did not know exactly what he was doing, he had acted out of pure instinct. An instinct that overcame him slowly but surely. He wanted more. Much more.

"N..Naruto wait ... that ..", the Uchiha finally gasped uncertain.

The fox's touch became more and more eager, his movements more and more urgent, his grip and the pull between his legs.

Reluctantly and slowly, Naruto let himself be pushed away, slowly lifting his head out of his friends groin. He licked his wet lips, purring.

"Why?" He whispered softly, pushing his nose along the black-haired man's neck as he dropped next to him, his hand still resting on Sasuke's thigh.

"You like it."

A slight bite into the soft skin of the blind man, before Naruto's hand moved back to the groin of the black-haired man, closing around his arousal, grabbing and gently pumping it again.

"I can’t stop. Your voice, your heat ... that taste ... "Naruto whispered softly in his ear, the ocean blue eyes sparkling eagerly.

He did not want to stop. No, he wanted more. He wanted everything.

In one gentle movement he pushed himself over the black-haired man, between his legs and looked down at him, the naked, milky skin lying so defenseless before him and Sasuke itself almost helpless, at his mercy. His heart beat faster, his pulse racing with pleasure and excitement. He wanted him.

"N-Naruto ... what ?!"

"I ... want to do it with you."

Sasuke faltered. The demon wanted to do it with him?

"We're doing it ... but ... yes," he gasped, noting how the adrenaline rushed through his veins. What was the demon planning to do? Did he even remember what he had told him?

"I want more ... I want ..."

Slowly, the blonde rolled his pelvis forward, letting Sasuke feel how excited he was. He wanted to mate with him. Only with him and with no one else. He din’t care that the Uchiha was a human male.

Sasuke's cloudy irises widened for a moment as he became aware of the situation and with a harsh movement he straightened himself.

"No."

An irritated expression was reflected on the fox's face.

No?

He growled softly at his friend. Threatening, and a little offended.

Why not? He wanted it too. He was just as excited and liked what he had done so far.

Unwilling to accept his rejection, the demon huddled closer to his friend, leaning down to him and trying to convince him with gentle caresses to allow him to take him.

Maybe he just had to caress him a little more.

Sasuke, however, was more careful now. He was excited, enjoyed the touch. Maybe too much given the fact that he had a demon and another man in front of him. Still, he could not allow him to cross that line. Not if it only served to satisfy the demon's drives.

Hissing, he squirmed beneath the blond, who pinned him down with his weight and gradually covered his neck and upper body with small bite marks. Marks that would still be clearly visible ifor the next few days.

"Sasuke," the demon whispered excitedly, rubbing his bare, hot-throbbing member against his friend's.

"Please…"

He wanted it. He wanted it so badly.

"Ngh ... stop..stop that ... no, means ..no. It works just fine like that ... so "

Naruto growled again, he didn’t want to shake Sasukes trust in him by simply taking what he desired. He wanted Sasuke to come to him voluntaringly.

◊◊◊

Indescribable.

The black-haired couldn’t remember anything else on the morning of their night together.

He felt stained somehow and yet a pleasant sensation came over him at the memories of the last night. It had been strange. Strange to do these things and yet he was by no means ashamed of it. They had satisfied each other and despite the fact that the demon had repeatedly urged him to go further, he had in the end accepted Sasukes decision. The Uchiha did not know why. But he felt safe and content.

Naruto was different.

He was not one of the demons who would simply use their power.

His gaze wandered over to the blonde, who lay on the futon with his mouth open, blissfully snoring. He could not see him and yet he could imagine. He was a weird guy, that demon.

Did he have a family? Were demons born like humans? By an act of affection of two lovers? Hard to imagine, considering that demons were born from the souls of deceased humans. Sasuke really did not understand all that.

But what he understood was the feeling that the demon created in him. He had somehow fallen in love with him.

A gentle smile settled on his face.

Maybe it was fate that he had found him. Back then, close to death, on this icy winter’s night.


	9. Curiosity

Driven by his curiosity and the newly gained strength, the fox demon was drawn ever further beyond the borders of the mountains. During his expeditions, where he discovered new things, tested his abilities and satisfied his thirst for knowledge about the humanworld, the young demon had dared to approach the small settlement of the villagers who had previously tried to kill him.

He still kept his distance. He didn't want to be closer to people than was absolutely necessary.

Still they interested him. He wanted to learn more about their habits, wanted to learn about their world and how humans loved each other.

For demons, it was usually simply gaining power over someone, controlling them, and giving satisfaction to their own instincts. No matter what gender the other person was.

However, other rules seemed to apply to humans and it was precisely these circumstances that he wanted to get to the bottom of. He wanted to know how he should or could treat Sasuke. The blind boy was special to him after all. Actually, he didn't want their relationship to fit in a certain box. It worked out, most of the time at least. But still it seemed that he could find out more about the human way of life. There had to be something he had overlooked.

The fox demon paused and scratched the back of his head. When he thought about it, he didn't know what he was expecting or what Sasuke was expecting from him. They understood each other, liked each other. So why not just benefit from each other? What did life have to offer for humans? On the other hand, Sasuke never seemed to feel uncomfortable when Naruto touched or approached him. Sasuke gave him almost free hand, even though he was a demon, one of the fox demons, whose race had murdered Sasukes entire family and who had cursed him.

Naruto didn't understand it. Sure, they weren't all the same, but did that really mean that it was so easy to forgive? That someone could forget? He couldn't.

He still hated the people who tried to murder him. Hated and condemned him, eyeing him with critical eyes. Sasuke was also a human being, one of them.

But he couldn't hate him. If he wouldn’t keep reminding himself of it, he would have forgotten that the blind boy was human by now. One of those creatures. No, Sasuke was different. The way he thinks, the way he acts even his smell was different from that of the other people the young demon had met up to now.

But why?

How could it make such a difference to him?

It remained a mystery to him.

_"Truth is just an illusion, blurring at the angles from where you look at it,"_ the wind whispered around him, pulling the demon out of his thoughts.

Truth was just an illusion? What was that supposed to mean?

"Stop speaking in riddles!" He grumbled at the wind spirit, who really wasn't helping him. All it caused was more confusion.

_"It is not a riddle, because that too is a truth. Only the truth…"_

The voice whistled through the treetops, leaving the demon alone with his thoughts.

"Aaahhhaaahh ... what’s this about? Who’s supposed to understand that?! ”, the blond complained loudly and tore his hair. That didn't make any sense at all!

◊◊◊

It was strange. Completely absurd, if Sasuke thought about it. Ever since they got closer, the fox demon had started to adopt strange habits.

He got up before of him, brought him breakfast, collected flowers for him. Sasuke was beyond questioning why. Was that normal for demons? Maybe it was something else. How could he know? He had grown up alone and when he tried to remember his family, all he could see was that terrible night. He was probably even less social than the fox demon, who was racking his brains at that moment.

"Funny demon," Sasuke murmured softly as he plucked the chicken the fox had brought him that morning. A bloody, dead chicken.

Was this some kind of dog-like behaviour? Did he want to show him his affection? The idea made the blind boy smile. What an absurd thought. A demon wasn't a dog. Whereas Naruto seemed to be the exception to the rule.

Nothing was impossible with him it seemed.

◊◊◊

The pointed ears twitched slightly as the fox picked up a conversation. A conversation between some villagers, men.

"So you chose the right one. But it's not that easy. Women don't want flowers. You have to conquer her."

"Nonsense! Women want to be spoiled. "

"Oh you have no idea. Appearance and status is important. "

"Appearance? Well, good luck to you then! "

Laughter continued until the mocked one complained loudly and countered.

"Oh really?! At least I have a wife and children! ”

"She's probably blind, haha."

"Or she has no standarts."

Laughter again, but Naruto just frowned. People were so ... stupid. Stupid and somehow uncultivated. Well, he didn't know much about culture himself, but it really wasn't funny.

He scurried on through the village, always careful not to get caught. He had to find something. Something. Any clue as to how he could tell the blind one that he wanted to be close to him. A description of what was going on inside him.

"Darling ... please don't go there. You know what happens to the men on this path. ”, The demon suddenly heard a young woman clinging to her husband's sleeve.

"We have no other choice. It is the only way. I will take care. The curse won't hit me. "

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I will be back soon. Wait for me here. "

"Please be careful. Don't get too close to the child who lives there. They say death is reflected in his eyes. "

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" it Bursted out of Narutos mouth before he had thought about where he was. He caught his breath. Damn, they would hunt him.

But the farmer and his wife only looked around in confusion.

"Where did that come from? Who ... who said that? ”asked the woman anxiously, clinging to her husband's arm, who pushed protectively in front of her.

"Who are you? Come out!"

Visibly confused, the fox demon stared at the couple in front of him, that was staring at him but could not see him.

"What the ..." he asked himself quietly and raised a hand. He waved in front of them. Nothing.

>> They can’t see me? <<

_"Naive fox. Don't you know anything? "_

A raven looked down at him from the roof of a house and croaked at him mockingly.

_"Unsuspecting fox, know nothing about yourself and still dare to approach them."_

"Stop mocking me!" The demon replied angrily.

He felt stupid and ridiculed. Things he didn't like at all.

"I'm not stupid! How am I supposed to know what's going on here? "

But the raven didn't answer, just continued to scoff at the young demon fox, who didn't seem to be aware of his own strength.


	10. Control

"You are invisible," repeated the blind boy when Naruto told him for the twentieth time how he had escaped from the villagers without being noticed by them.

"Yes! Exactly, I'm invisible and I don't know why. Anyway-"

"- the ravens in the village mocked you because you didn’t know"

Sasuke finished the sentence unimpressed and calmly stirred the stew he had prepared for them.

"Aren’t you scared? How can you sit there so calmly and stir the food? What if ... if I dissolve?! "

A sigh escaped the Uchiha when he let go of the trowel and pinched the fox in the side.

"OUCH!"

"Doesn't feel like you're dissolving."

For a moment the fox demon looked at his friend with indignation, blinking in confusion and finally unable to resist grinning.

"That's right ... but maybe you also have magical powers and can pinch ghosts. We can't be sure about that in your case "

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Visibly confused by this statement, Sasuke had turned to his friend, the grey irises pointing blankly at him.

Naruto was about to answer him when something glowed in the dark shadows of those eyes that left the demon speechless.

As if in a trance, he stared into the endless grey, for the first time he recognized more in them than just his own reflection.

"Naruto?" Sasuke, who was still waiting for an answer, whispered gently.

The fox demon's heart quickened. Something was different. There was more. More than just his reflection. More than the grey veil and the foggy cloudy image that these eyes had given him so far. As if remote-controlled, he slid closer to the blind one, staring into his deep, auspicious soul mirror. Caught by a feeling he had never experienced before. His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins. His own pulse pounded furiously and loudly in his ears, a hot, powerful feeling rushing down his spine before the picture manifested in front of his eyes, letting him see.

"ARGH!"

His friend's agony ripped him out of his trance. The Uchiha crouched in front of him, writhing in pain, his palms pressed against his eyes.

"Sasuke! What’s wrong?!"

Startled, the fox bent down to his friend and tried to pull him up by the shoulders.

"What-?"

His heart started racing again. Blood. Blood that ran down between the Uchiha's fingers and made the fox catch his breath.

Panting with pain, the black-haired boy pressed his palms against his eyes, felt the heat burning inside them, along with the bloody tears that ran down his cheeks.

Desperation blazed in the blonde's bright blue eyes.

Was this his fault?

◊◊◊

"How are you?" Naruto asked quietly as he placed the fresh, cold towel over the blinds eyes.

"It's okay," was the powerless, somewhat weak response from Sasuke, who had suffered more pain in the past few hours than in his whole life.

The demon snuggled ruefully to his side, giving him warmth.

"I wonder what that was," he murmured softly to Sasuke, moving closer to him. He was sorry and felt like it was his fault even if he hadn't done anything at all. He had just looked at him.

"I have no idea. But I sure don’t want it to come back. ”

Sasukes voice sounded rough and scratchy. His cries of pain echoed through the dark forests for a long time before he finally passed out and Naruto had taken care of him.

The blind one sighed softly, feeling the pain that was slowly subsiding in his still throbbing eye sockets. It was strange. This feeling. It was so much hotter and stronger than it has been back then. Back when the vixen burned his memories into his eyes and cursed him. He would never have thought of experiencing anything more painful than that curse.

Was it really Naruto? Because he was one of them? A fox demon?

"I ... will find the reason and then I'll make sure it never happens again!", The fox abruptly interrupted his friend's train of thought and snorted from the side of his neck.

Sasuke couldn't help it. An amused snort came from his lips, followed by a breathless laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"I would never dare to."

"Good! ... wait a minute, was that sarcasm? Hey! "

The blind ones laughter echoed through the bare walls of the little hut before it turned into a dry cough and finally fell silent.

Sasuke slowly turned his head to the side, felt the cloth slide off of his forehead and his cold skin that touched the the demon’s beside him.

"Thank you," he whispered softly, his forehead resting gently on Narutos. Sasuke was enjoying the warmth that radiated from his friend while the blond's mouth was open for a few seconds. Not a word came over his lips, he couldn’t form a clear thought. All he felt was warmth and the affection for his friend.

Slowly, even tenderly, he put his hands around the thin body in front of him, pulled him closer and finally buried his nose in the blind ones black mane.

He wanted to protect him, this human.

◊◊◊

"So?"

"How many times should I tell you? I don't know if it works because I can’t see you!” Sasuke finally smacked the fox. Days had passed and for days the blond had been annoying him with his newly acquired ability, which he was trying to test in a very strange way.

"Yes, but who else should I ask?"

"Maybe someone who can see?"

"Haha ... I don't know anyone except you. Is it my fault you can’t see a thing?"

"And is it my fault that you ask a blind man if you are invisible?"

The Uchiha just shook his head over himself. He couldn't believe that he was having this discussion again.

"Hrmpf.", Naruto grumbled dissatisfied and rolled over the floor.

How should he learn to use his powers if he didn't know if they worked?

Sasuke sighed again.

“Some merchants will walk along the mountain pass this afternoon. How about you test it on them? They're unarmed, they won't chase you even if they can see you and you can find out if your powers are working. ”

Naruto listened. Merchants?

"Hm ~ and if they happen to carry some nice things, I'll gladly lend them a helping hand to get rid of them.

He grinned mischievously and ignored Sasuke's shaking head.

What harm did it do to startle or play with a few of these merchants, and even to get some of their goods? In the end, they were still rich enough.

"Be careful and don’t go too far with your jokes."

"Sure~"

◊◊◊

_"Tonight the moon appears in all its glory. The Fox Demon Will Appear "_

_"Do we have to take this path tonight?"_

_"We have no choice and this pass is the only way through the mountains."_

_"The cursed one and then a fox demon. My blood runs cold thinking of it! ”_

_The man shivered and rubbed his arms._

_"Do you really think he will appear to us?"_

_"Let’s hope he doesn’t. But at least we don't have any children he could devour. ”_

_"Children?"_

_"Don't you know? Fox demons devour the children to live forever. "_

_"How horrible ... have you ... ever seen one of them?"_

_"No, but it is said that one of them lives in these woods. He takes a human form, a male with long blond hair wandering the streets, his eyes glowing red like the flames that envelop him when he haunted the villages with his vengeance. A fine smoke surrounds the man, veiling him like a ghost. You won’t recognize the demon's face. A fox mask prevents everyone from seeing it. In the darkness, he roamed from house to house, looking ... for something. "_

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he heard the conversation between the two men driving through the dark on their cart. What nonsense. Long blond hair? Fire around him? HE, vengeful? Who had followed him many summers ago and thrown him down the cliffs?

"Unbelievable," he grumbled, sneaking through the treetops closer to the cart. His pointed teeth flashed briefly in the moonlight, revealing the naughty nature of the demon. He lived up to the reputation of the fox demons, who were known for their tricks as well and the jokes they could play on humans.

The moon stretched over the woods, bathing them in a cold yet gentle light. A light that was reflected on the demon's skin and finally surrounded him as he slid down from his hiding place onto the mountain path, feeling the cold ground under his feet waiting at the end of the pass. Now he would see if his powers were serving him.

The cart rattled towards him at a moderate pace, finally stopping abruptly with no movement on his part.

"What's the matter? Go on! Move! “, One of the two merchants tried to drive the horses, which shied from the presence of the demon, scratching their hooves uneasily.

"What’s wrong with them?"

"I don't know ... I can't see anything. What about you? "

The other man looked around, lost. Naruto smiled. It worked. These fools couldn't see him.

He stepped slowly towards the cart, causing only greater unrest among the horses. Snorting and pawing, they tried to back away from him.

"HO! HO! ”Their master tried to calm them down, tugged on the reins and almost lost his balance. Fearful, the two horses rose and kicked each other. The panicked neighing echoed through the dark night, terrifying it, while the blonde demon felt a new, unexpected feeling rise within him.

"WHO'S THERE?! COME OUT! ”One of the two merchants screamed in panic, waving his torch through the darkness.

Naruto's expression grew darker. Colder, more calculating. They were scared. These filthy people were afraid of him and the torch reminded him only too well of the evening they chased him and pushed him into the abyss.

Slowly the moon moved higher to the zenith of the sky, filling the night with its soft cold light.

"This is my forest and you are not welcome here," said the blonde finally.

Startled, the man dropped his torch when he saw the glowing figure before his eyes. The horses rose again at the sight, threw the second merchant from his cart in the frenzy of their fear and stormed away. The blond demon’s plans to relieve people of their treasures were forgotten. He wanted them to go away and never return to this place.

The dull crash with which the human landed on the ground, didn’t bother the demon. They should suffer these creatures. Suffer like he did.

His orange robe glowed bloody and the blond strands shimmered almost white in the light of the full moon.

"The demon ..." escaped the merchant, who could hardly take his eyes off Naruto while his friend fished for the torch.

Naruto held up a hand and wiped the air in a quick motion. A gust of wind extinguished the fire of the torch, the demon's gesture clearly visible.

"DISAPPEAR AND DON'T DARE TO RETURN EVER AGAIN!"

He shouted, feeling the fire rise inside him for a moment when another tail appeared behind him and whipped hard onto the ground.

The merchants fled without hesitation. No way they would mess with a demon.

Naruto looked satisfied on his fingers, which were still illuminated by the gentle light of the moon. He had driven them away.

Slowly he clenched his hand into a fist.

He would drive them all away. Those who wanted to harm him and Sasuke. Those who dared enter his forest.

_"You learn quickly, little fox. But be careful. Because nothing can bring back time. “,_ The wind whispered into his furry ears, whirling mischievously around him.

"Time?"

Naruto looked up at the moon.

What did the wind want to tell him? Time…


	11. Memories

"Moah, why not?"

"Because then you only start groping me again"

"This is not true at all. I only helped you to wash yourself."

"Of course," Sasuke finally replied as he poured another bucket of water into the tub and finally lit the fire below the tub to heat the bathing water.

"But we would also save time and wood if we bathed together," replied Naruto seductively and crept around his blind friend, hugging him here and there or caressing him with his tails. Sometimes Sasuke believed that this behavior got worse with every new tail, and the number had increased rapidly in the past few weeks. How many were there now? Six, seven? He couldn’t remember.

But Naruto couldn‘t be turned away. He hugged the blind one from behind, breathed in his scent, and finally purred against his ear.

"I won't do anything, I promise."

A shiver chased down Sasuke's spine. He knew it was a lie. They both knew it was. It wouldn't take a second for the fox to have his fingers on him, and he wouldn't resist a second if he approached him that way.

"You're a terrible liar," he said, pushing him aside.

"Go get some more wood, then ... let's go for a bath.", He finally growled softly, feeling the warmth rising to his face while a wide, almost radiant smile appeared on Naruto's face. Sasuke would take a bath with him!

"I knew ... that you wouldn't stick to it!" The blind one gasped, feeling the firm grip on his erection and the pointed teeth on his neck, which gently but steadily scratched his damp, fragrant skin.

"And I knew you would like it as much as I would."

A dark purr reached Sasukes ears as Naruto slipped his free hand over the hard pecs of his friend, twirled and pinched them or simply teased them with his claws while the black-haired man turned in his lap and wasn't sure if he should give him so much freedom or stop the demon while he still could. It wasn‘t the first time that they By now it was almost a habit for them to play and share their lust. Lust that Sasuke could hardly suppress in the presence of the fox. They were both men. Was it magic? The spell of a demon that made him feel like this? No. As the son of a consecrated family and cursed by the white vixen herself, no spell in the world would have an effect on him.

"Ngh..Naruto .. wait ..." groaned the blind one, feeling the excitement of his own loins and the hot throbbing of Narutos cock that pressed against him. He felt like he was burning with lust.

Whispering towards the black-haired one, the demon pulled him closer, pulled him deeper into his lap. He had embraced both of them, rubbing their stiff rods together. How he would have loved to go further. How he would have liked it to have dragged the blind one to his knees and thrust himself inside his burning hot body, loved to drive his teeth into the back of Sasukes neck and elicited the lustful cries that he would have given him with his loins. But he didn't, didn't want to abuse his friend's trust to satisfy his own greed. They had time. Even now he was sure that he wanted to spend his life with this person. All alone with him.

◊◊◊

"Say Sasuke, what does [i] time [/i] actually mean for you humans?", The demon finally asked curiously when they had dressed again and sat by the fire.

"Time?"

Sasuke looked confused. How should he describe time?

"Well ... time is a state, I think."

"A state?"

"Yes. Let's take the seasons for example. Every new winter is different from the previous one, every spring, every summer, every autumn. The past years have brought nothing back and everything that is left of them is a memory. ”

Naruto considered for a moment. With his arms on the ankles of his crossed legs, he looked at the bare ceiling of the little forest hut.

"So that means that even if you can remember it exactly, you can't get that time back?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Exactly. You cannot undo what once has happened. ”

"Do you think there are demons who can do this?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Don't you think that it would be terrible to think that there is someone or something that can influence things that much?" Sasuke replied softly and looked at the fireplace in the middle of the room.

"Huh? Why would it be bad? "

"Imagine someone would go back in time, change things and thus influence what happens. Imagine we never met. "

Naruto's eyes widened.

"No, I don't want to imagine that!"

A mild smile graced the blind ones face.

"But that could happen if there was someone who could change time. Everything would change. If you change the past, the future also changes. If you change memories, feelings also change. "

Naruto swallowed. He had never looked at anything like this before.

He shook his head and chased the thoughts away, finally crashing to the floor with both hands.

"No way. I would search and find you! "

The blind one laughed softly, amused. Sometimes he was such a fool, that fox demon.

Even if he found him, everything would be different. The situation and the memories they shared had brought them to this point. If he changed all of this, they might not be sitting together.

"You are such an idiot sometimes."

"Huh? Why?"

Naruto was confused. Why did Sasuke say something mean to him?

"Nothing has to change for me. I like the memories of our time as they are and if they end one day, I won't regret any of them. ”

He leaned onto his friend's shoulder and closed his eyes, making Narutos heart skip a beat with his words.

"They won't end! I vowed to stay with you forever and to bathe, eat and fight with you forever. Forever and forever, yes! "

His warm breath brushed Naruto's neck, causing him to shiver briefly.

Sasuke, however, knew that eternity did not exist for them. Because humans didn't live forever. The time they had was limited. But he wouldn’t bust the demons bubble. Naruto would see for himself when the years passed by and took their toll on him.

Naruto noticed the strange mood that had filled the room, but could not explain himself what was going on in his friend's head. What was Sasuke thinking about? Could it be? Was he afraid that one day he would leave?

"You know Sasuke ...", he started quietly and put an arm around his friend's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"... I want to make a lot more wonderful memories with you. I want to ... share every second of my life with you. "

He didn't know what it was that was driving him, had no name for the feeling that had taken hold of him. But he knew that he didn't want to live without this person. It was as if he was missing something just thinking about it.

He buried his nose in the black strands of his friend, remained silent in the pale light of the crackling fire that gave them warmth on that cold night.

No matter what came, he would stay with him. Always.


	12. Wisdom

Fascinated, the fox demon watched his friend search for herbs in the forest, picking berries or mushrooms. If you looked at him like this, you wouldn’t guess he was blind.

The demon was still feeling guilty about the day he hurt his friend and caused his bloody tears. Why? What had he done?

He hadn't been able to find an answer. It wore him down that he hadn't been able to find the answers to his questions.

_"Little demon, searching desperately for knowledge and yet you are blind to the truth.",_ A voice suddenly came out of nowhere. The fox's furry ears rose up steeply, listening. His eyes were scanning the familiar environment.

Who was that? Who taunted him again?

His gaze finally caught on a raccoon, looking at him with a mockingly.

"What do you mean I'm blind to the truth?"

He looked down at the raccoon demanding and finally jumped out of his seat on the branch of a huge tree.

The raccoon just laughed amused, looked like he wanted to make fun of him.

_"A demon and a human, what good shall it bring? Isn't it the people who want to shame us and try to rob us of our lives? Why do you care, naive fox? "_

"Sasuke is not like that!" Naruto protested outraged and finally leaned down to the raccoon.

"Don't talk bad about him or you will have to deal with me!"

The raccoon laughed again, creeping lazily around the fox.

_"Stupid fox, naive and young. Making your judgment blind and hungering to know without being able to decide. Unable to understand yourself, ignorant to what connects you and yet stupid enough to let yourself being guided by the feeling. "_

Naruto let out a dark growl. Furious, his tails whipped to the ground, stirring up leaves around the raccoon.

"Don't you dare insulting me! I'm not stupid. If you know something, share your knowledge with me or disappear! “, He said to the raccoon.

"Naruto? Who are you talking to? "

Sasuke's voice tore the blonde from his thoughts. He looked at his friend, at the many supplies he had collected, and finally back again. The raccoon was gone, along with the answers the fox had hoped for.

"Nobody ..." Naruto replied to his friend softly, almost lost in thought.

Sasuke's concerned look, however, caught the demon's attention. He looked into the blind one’s eyes for a moment, but remembered the events that had recently occurred and finally lowered his own gaze.

He would still find out. He would find a way to help Sasuke and free him from all his suffering.

Sasuke's gaze was still on the demon. He couldn't see him, but he felt his friend's restlessness. A restlessness, which had only gotten worse since that event and seemed to have shaken the demon deeply. It was as if he didn't want to take any chances of exposing him to any pain again.

"Listen, Naruto ..."

"Hm?" The fox twitched his ears attentively.

Together they strolled through the shimmering, peaceful forests. Peace that neither of them had ever felt in their lives.

"I think you will only find the answers you are looking for in one place."

Naruto looked at his friend with curiosity. Did he know something he didn’t?

"My father once told me that the gateway to the world of demons can be found on the White Mountain and I think they are the only ones who can offer you the answers you are looking for."

"But there is no white mountain here? Except for when it's snowing. "

Sasuke just shook his head.

"Have you never wondered why people avoid these woods? Even those who use the mountain path don't get too close. ”

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You mean this IS the mountain?!"

He almost dropped the basket he had taken from Sasuke. Should that mean they were already in the demon realm? No. It couldn't be. Humans could not enter the demon world. At least he knew that much.

"But ... then the gate must be somewhere here, right? But maybe the other demons of this forest can tell me what I need to know. That's great!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows in confusion. Great?

"Don't you understand, Sasuke? If I can find the answers, then I can finally free you from the curse and then you will never have to suffer or to be lonely again. Then when I break the curse, I'll show you everything. All the colors and the places, the animals and the flowers! Then we can live here forever and you never have to think about terrible things again. "

Overjoyed, Naruto accelerated his steps; he could already see it. The two of them, and their bright future. He couldn't wait to show Sasuke all of these things for the first time after all those dark years.

Sasuke's footsteps stopped. Was that why the demon was acting so strange? Because he wanted to free him? Because he was looking for a solution? To help him, and not for a selfish reason? He was speechless.

Naruto paused when he noticed that his friend had stopped.

"Hey Sasuke what‘s-"

With a big smile, he turned and froze at the sight of the blind one, who didn't even seem to have noticed that he was crying.

"... you?", He breathed softly and looked at his friend. Why was he crying?

◊◊◊

"Well I’m off for now. I'll be back tonight. "

Naruto was out of the door before he could reply, on a new and different path through the woods looking for answers. For days he had searched already, tried to get the demons to talk to him and was only mocked by them. They didn’t seem like they cared about helping him.

The Uchiha felt strange. His chest felt tight, he couldn’t breathe and every time Naruto left the house he feared he wouldn‘t come back. When? Since when did he need him like that?

"Damn it…"

He stroked his long black strands back, sighed and finally dropped his hands on the edge of the wide wooden board on which he had placed the ingredients for their dinner.

What should he do? No matter what Naruto did, their time together was limited.

The fox demon just didn't seem to know it.

How should he tell him? How could he have told him that he couldn't stay with him forever? That one day, he would die alone and without him, no matter what he did?

How could he have told him if he knew it would shake the demon's world at its very foundations?

He just couldn't.

◊◊◊

The young demon rushed through the forest, trying to use the remaining time until dawn to find answers. The wind had whispered, showing the direction, driving him from one corner of the forest to the other, but not helping him at all.

Irritated by the foolish game of the wind spirit, Naruto paused and came to a halt on a green mountain section.

"WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?! Stop fooling around! ”, He complained and hit the wind that only hissed around him.

_“Getting knowledge is no foolish game. But a foolish game can lead to knowledge. "_

"Oh keep your riddles to yourself. You are not helping me! "

Pouting, he crossed his arms in front of his body and let his gaze wander over the mountains. Why? Why wasn't there a single demon here who wanted to talk to him?

_“White and cold as snow, burning like the fire of the sun. Eyes as clear as morning dew, knowledge passed down for millennials, hidden deep inside the heart. You have known the answers for a long time but you still cannot see them. "_

Startled, the fox demon turned when he heard the strange voice.

It was ghostly and cool, like the first light of the new moon. A white fox.

"What do you mean, I already know the answers?"

"Don’t you feel it? What connects you ...? You and the person you gave your hear? “, The fox asked, sat quietly on a small rock in the middle of the clearing.

Naruto swallowed hard. He pressed his lips together.

_"You are young, naive. You don't know anything about our world or even that of the humans. You gave your heart away, even though his life is in your hands. "_

Naruto listened. Sasuke's life was in his hands? The white fox looked sternly at him.

_"Can't you feel it?"_

"What ... what are you talking about."

_"You are **her** child."_


	13. Dazed Truth

The black-haired paced his hut restless, unable to bear to sit and wait quietly in front of the fire. It was night. Darkest night and Naruto still wasn‘t back. Had something happened to him?

◊◊◊

"What?"

The young demon stood speechless opposite the white fox spirit. He was supposed to be her child? The child of the white vixen who had done so much harm to his beloved friend? He could not believe it.

_"You must have felt it yourself, little fox. Your strength increases with each new moon, approaching your mothers. "_

"But ... but it can't be! If ... if I am the child of the white vixen, then why...? "

_"Then why are you not white yourself?"_

Naruto nodded. Not that it was just his fur, which was a completely different colour, no, he couldn't possibly be the child of such a cruel demon!

The white ghost fox was silent for a moment. The young demon's question was more than justified; he had come to him this night to give him the truth he was looking for.

_"You know, the white vixen hasn’t always been white."_

The spirit rose from its place and walked towards the young demon, circled around him, letting their energies touch. An exchange of spiritual power that would allow him to show Naruto everything he wanted.

_“Once, many years ago, there was a vixen in these woods. Her fur was as red as dawn. She was the most beautiful and strongest among the fox demons. But because of her beauty and also her strength, she was unable to find the love she longed for. It’s something that every fox demon is born with; a longing for affection and a place where they can find safety. A home, a family. "_

Naruto listened attentively to the words of the white fox spirit, but they made no sense to him. How could a creature, that caused so much suffering, possibly feel love? He thought of Sasuke and what he had told him. The things the white vixen had done to him and his family.

The blue eyes looked down at the ghost in confusion. He just couldn't believe it.

The ghost, however, continued to speak calmly and without judgement. He had already expected for Naruto to misunderstand. The events that had taken place before the birth of the little demon were too great.

_“One night, however, when humans had already begun to see evil in the demons and started to hunt them, it was one of the gods himself who descended from the sky and saved the vixen. Minato, the God of Thunder. "_

The fox paused for a moment and finally wandered back to the place on the stone from which it had previously risen.

"The God of Thunder?"

Naruto realized how little he knew about himself, his parents and the world they lived in.

_“The god of thunder had long watched over the village and its inhabitants, worshipped by the priests. He had noticed the change that had divided humans and demons and had taken care of this matter to end the senseless murders. Touched by his kindness and the good heart of the God, the red vixen fell in love with the god of thunder and they became one. ”_

Naruto felt something warm inside. Were that his mother's feelings at that time?

"That ... that means I'm the child of... a fox demon and a god ?!"

The white fox nodded briefly.

"But ... but if I'm her child, why have I always been alone? Why did I grow up in a foxhole?"

He had never met his mother or his father. All he remembered was a fox who had warmed and protected him and her cubs alike. The fox demon approached the white ghost excited and curious. Finally he dropped to the floor in front of him. But the ghost became serious.

_"Little fox, what do you know about humans? Or about this world? About a world in which humans and demons can no longer coexist. "_

Naruto paused. No. No, did that mean-?

_“Even before you were born, people learned about the love of the red vixen and their god of thunder. Enraged, that the demons had taken possession of their god, they sealed the shrine of the god of thunder and locked him away._

_Separated from his beloved and unable to protect her and his unborn child, the God did the only thing he had left. He transferred his power to the vixen he had left alone in the forest._

_But the priests persecuted her to kill her. They searched for her, combed the woods and left no stone unturned to find her._

_Alone and frighened about her own and your fate, she gave birth in her fox hole and then left you to drive the people away or at least to lure them away. Because all she had left was her beloved child. "_

Naruto swallowed hard. He was sick because he felt in which direction this story was going. The white fox paused. He was just a ghost and yet he felt the fox demon's feelings as if they were his own.

_“Fox demons are weak when they give birth to their young. A short cycle of weakness befalls them and makes them vulnerable. The humans managed to catch the red vixen, but by no means did they immediately execute her. They brought her to the temple of the god of thunder and put her in chains as well. ”_

He was sick. Naruto's stomach cramped because he felt what the ghost would tell him.

_"Weapons pointed at her, ready to behead her, but it was a priest who took a different path. Why just kill the demon that made their God fall to sin? No. Tonight, they would set an example for all fox demons and all gods. "_

Naruto closed his eyes and found himself inside the memories of the past.

◊◊◊

"Red vixen, you dared to desecrate our God and seduced him with your wicked tongue. No god should ever be lured from the heavens by a low creature as yourself. "

The priest raised the consecrated sword inside his hand above the God, whom he once had so faithfully served. Minato took a last look at his beloved vixen, a gentle, apologetic smile on his lips, for not being able to protect her before the weapon pierced his heart and ended the life of the God.

A few seconds passed, the young demon's body motionless as if she had frozen to ice and tears were rising in her eyes before the trembling cry of loss echoed across the courtyard of the temple.

Anger and despair rose inside the female demon, fear of what would become of her child now that she was at the mercy of these people, the sight of her dead love burning deep into her eyes.

The blood roared in her ears as her own shadow building up in front of her and made the priests retreat.

"You will pay for this… Each of you will pay for what you have done," whispered the beautiful demon's voice, before the chains around her limbs broke and the shadow disappeared inside her body, her shape changing in the rising full moon.

Her long, fiery-red hair turned white like the cold moonlight itself, her eyes burning with rage.

She would destroy them. All of them.

◊◊◊

Startled, the young fox demon opened his eyes, felt tears running down his cheeks and drying on the cold ground of the forest.

_"That night the vixen lost all memories of her loved one and gave in to pain, hatred and despair until darkness consumed her. You were alone because she left the human world after burning down the temple. Now you know the truth, little demon. "_

He couldn‘t believe it. All these things, these atrocities. It was too much. It was more than the young demon could handle. Only a voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"NARUTOOOOO!"

His head jerked up, his ears twitched up and his scarred cheeks shimmered damp in the cold moonlight. It was Sasuke.

"What should I-?" He wanted to ask the ghost, but it was gone. As if it had never been there.

"Naruto?" Asked the blind carefully when he finally reached the top of the mountain. He felt the fox demon but why didn't he answer him?


	14. Reality

Shocked and unable to move, Naruto looked at his friend. He felt his blood rushing through his veins and his pulse started to pound in his ears.

They had hunted them down and killed them. His friend's clan had destroyed his family!

"Naruto, what’s wrong?" Sasuke asked carefully. Something was wrong, he felt it.

"Murderer," Naruto whispered softly, breathlessly, and distraught.

Sasuke paused. What did he say?

The cold wind on this clear full moon night hissed between them when the blonde raised his voice again.

"MURDERER!" He shouted angrily, startled by the anger and despair that resonated in his voice.

The demon's tails lashed furiously to the ground, his angry aura tangible in the air around him. Sasuke's ancestors had murdered his father. They had executed him in front of his mother's eyes for no reason.

A dull ache ran through the Uchiha as the fox demon screamed at him.

His heart stopped for a second before the pain brought him to his knees.

A breathless, painful groan escaped him. It felt like someone was trying to rip his heart out with his bare hands.

"DID YOU KNOW?! HAVE YOU INTENTIONALLY HIDDEN IT? ”The fox demon just kept shouting, seething because he couldn’t handle what had been revealed to him.

Sasuke choked by his feet, writhing in pain on the cold forest ground.

Blood ran down his cheeks and from the corners of his mouth. Why couldn't he say anything? What was happening to him? He tried to gather himself up, mouthing his friend's name when he was finally standing in front of him. No sound escaped his lips.

Seconds passed before the fox demon noticed the blood to his feet and came to his senses.

Scared of himself, his behaviour and his friend's condition, he crouched down to him.

"Sasuke what ... what did you-? What have I-?"

_"Wasn't it your wish to see him suffer?"_

A cold, dark voice crept into the demon's head. Did he want to torture him?

_"His life is in your hands. Don't you want to take revenge? Just a little more. A little bit more. "_

Shivering and unable to give more than a breathless gasp, Sasuke crouched on the floor in front of him. He didn't know what had happened. His chest felt tight and he couldn’t breathe. His eyes burned like fire and the dull pain numbed his senses. Should that really be the end? He didn't even know what had happened.

With the last of his strength, he grabbed his friend by the collar and pulled him down, his grey eyes, filled with bloody tears, aimed directly at the ocean blue of the demon before he slowly put their foreheads together to let him see.

◊◊◊

"Sasuke my darling, dinner is ready! Would you please tell your father and brother? ", asked the slim, pretty woman with long black hair who had just placed the last bowl on the dining table for her family.

"Mom ... doesn't papa love me?"

Her son finally replied quietly, sadly. His father hadn't paid him any attention for days. Sasuke felt neglected. His father always preferred his older brother and even if Sasuke really loved his brother, he couldn't help but to feel worthless. It was like he was air for his father. He just wanted him to be proud of him.

"Oh Sasuke my darling, your father has a lot to do. You know, it’s not always easy to do the right thing. ”

"The right thing?"

The little boy's eyes lay curious on his mother. What does it mean, to do the 'right thing'? "

Mikoto smiled mild as she pulled her youngest son closer and in her lap.

"You know Sasuke ... in our world there are people who think one life is worth more than another. People who put their own ideals and views above everyone else and who do terrible things. Your father is trying to get these people back on the right path. "

Sasuke looked up at his mother with wide eyes.

"But aren't we all one family?"

"We are, Sasuke. But there are also bad people in our clan who are greedy and selfish.”

"So father is a hero?"

Mikoto smiled softly.

"Yes darling, he is."

"Then ... I want to be a hero too! I’ll go and tell them that dinner is ready. "

Grinning broadly, the little boy squeezed his mother and hurried to get his father and brother to eat.

◊◊◊

"Itachi, you know why we left our village and came to this temple."

"Yes, father."

“They can’t be stopped much longer, but we cannot let them win. The darkness has been growing in our clan for a long time already."

"We-"

A loud bang tore Fugaku and Itachi out of the conversation.

"Go to your mother and brother. Take care of them! ”, The Uchiha instructed his eldest son and made his way to the outer courtyard of the temple.

"What in the God's name-?" He asked in shock.

"THIS IS MADNESS!", He interrupted the conversation of the elders, who were banishing the god of thunder in his own shrine.

"Have you lost your minds? We are supposed to protect the gods and not put them in chains! "

"Be silent, you fool!"

The high priest looked with contempt at Fugaku.

"This god has fallen. He mingled with demons and is not worth our protection anymore. "

Fugaku's eyes widened. They couldn't be serious.

"This is insane! This is ... betrayal of the gods themselves! You will ruin us all! "

However, the priest remained ignorant.

“Lock him and his family up. We cannot risk them getting in our way. "

"WHAT?", Overwhelmed by the betrayal of the priests and the shinobi of his own clan, Fugaku defended himself against the men as best he could.

Sasuke's deep black eyes widened when he saw the scene. His father, chained and threatened by the men who were their family.

"This is the traitor's brat! Lock them away! ”The priest yelled at his subordinates.

Sasuke stood frozen in the frame of the huge sliding doors until his father shouted at him to run and hide.

A hand reached for the little boy's and dragged him away.

"I-Itachi!"

"Run Sasuke, don't stop!"

The two children ran as fast as they could from the shrine of the god of thunder and across the grounds of the temple.

"I-Itachi what about Papa? What about mom! "

Sasuke's big eyes filled with tears.

"We cannot help them now. Keep running!"

"But we can't leave them!"

Thick tears rolled down the pale cheeks of the little boy, whose heart was beating faster than his legs could carry him.

Itachi frantically dragged his little brother into one of the temple's many corners. The guards were already looking for them, but he would have to calm his brother down first.

He knelt before him, hands on his little brother's shoulders.

"Listen to me Sasuke. We will not let them down. We'll go get them and then we’ll run away together. But first we need a plan. You want dad to be proud of you, don't you? ”

Sasuke nodded as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Itachi's gentle, warm smile beamed at him as his big brother's hand stroked his head.

"We will not leave them alone."

◊◊◊

"Itachi! Sasuke! What are you still doing here?!"

"We came to free you, of course!" Sasuke, who with the help of his brother had managed to take out some guards and get down to the dungeon where their parents had been locked up, announced proudly.

For days they had planned and looked for ways to get into the dungeon under the temple unseen.

"Sht ... quiet," Itachi warned, while opening the lock with a few simple turns. His years of training were paying off.

He scurried into the small cell and started to untie his parents too, when a rattling sound made him stop.

"Itachi, I think someone's coming!" Sasuke whispered. It must be another guard!

"Leave us and run.“

Itachi and Sasuke turned at their father's words.

They should leave them to their fate?

"Father that-"

"No!" it burst out of Sasuke. There was no way they would leave them behind.

"I'll lure them away."

Without thinking about it, the little boy ran off, unaware of what was waiting for him in the courtyard of the temple.

◊◊◊

The black flames burned everything that stood in their way ruthlessly.

The seven-years-old found himself in the middle of the battlefield with a racing heart, the tormented groans of the burning men and women around him before they crumbled to ashes right in front of his eyes and nothing but the all-consuming flames remained.

Frightened and desperate, he looked around, not understanding what had happened when a figure finally came towards him through the thick smoke of the snowy landscape.

Tall, white as the snow itself and eyes burning with hate.

"A child…"

She hesitated, seeming to remember something, while Sasuke stood frozen with fear amid the dark flames.

"The bloodline of these murderers dies with you."

The demon's claws pushed forward with a sharp movement, ready to shed the last blood of the clan.

Seconds passed before the little boy's eyes opened again in surprise and his brother's picture burned into his eyes: Pierced by the demon's claws, his arms wrapped tightly around his little brother.

A gush of blood spurted at Sasuke as Itachi gazed at him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," the older one whispered, slowly sliding sideways past his younger brother after the demon pulled back her hand and tore his heart out of his chest.

"Fool," the dark shadow whispered.

Distraught and stunned, the seven-years-old stared at his brother's bloody corpse, which was slowly covered by the falling snow.

The white vixen carelessly threw the boy's heart into the snow, letting the black flames turn it into dust.

"His life for yours?" She snarled.

"So be it. From today on, people shall remember what they did to us. I will not let you die until you have suffered as we did, the pain the demons and gods to endure because of your kind. ”

She strechted her hand out, laying it on the boy's tear streaked eyes.

◊◊◊

What remained was pain and darkness


	15. Insecurity

As if he had been torn from a dream, the fox demon jumped back and found himself back in this world.  
His eyes were wet and his heart was heavy in his chest. His trembling limbs could hardly hold him when he leaned on his hands and tried to sort his thoughts. He had seen it, his memories.  
He had called him a murderer, he who hasn’t done anything and had lost everything himself.  
"Sasuke it ... I'm so ... sorry ...", Naruto just sniffed and felt the tears running down his cheeks.  
It was quiet.  
His blue eyes froze as he looked at his friend's motionless body, which lay on the cold floor in front of him.  
"Sasuke!"  
He almost fell over him trying to pull him close.  
"Sasuke say something!"  
Nothing.  
His pulse was racing and he tried to listen. Nothing. No breathing, no heartbeat, no pulse.  
The fox demon's wet eyes filled with even more tears as he pulled his friend close and hugged him.  
"Sasuke wakes up. Please ... ”, he sobbed softly while rocking his friend in his arms. It couldn't be!  
"You can't die now."  
He clung to him and implored every god, demon and power in the world to have his friend open his eyes and insult him.  
He whispered his forehead laying to his friend's.  
"You can't leave me alone."  
"His life is in your hands," It whispered softly into the demon's furry ears.  
He raised his head and saw the white fox spirit that had previously revealed the truth about his family.  
Naruto's face twisted into an angry, desperate expression.  
"YOU! You allowed that to happen! Why didn't you tell me the truth?“   
He shouted at him, his pointed canine teeth flashing out sharply.  
“Truth is never absolute. Everything is truth, but you let yourself be dominated by your feelings instead of trying to find his truth. ”  
Naruto's lips curled into a narrow, trembling line. He hated to admit it, but the fox was right. It was his fault. He had doubted him, thought he was like the others, even though he should have known better.  
"His life is in your hands," repeated the white fox spirit the words of the shadow.  
Naruto raised his head. Did that mean he had murdered him?  
The white fox fell silent before a sharp, whistling sound drew Naruto's attention to Sasuke.  
"He is breathing!"  
He almost dropped the blind one in surprise. It was a terrible sound, but the black-haired man was breathing, though the blood of his agony was still covering his face.  
"You alone have the power to relieve his torments, because it is your powers that can influence his curse. Beware of the shadows of your anger, little fox demon. "  
The white ghost disappeared, leaving the blonde baffled in the cold night.

◊◊◊

"I'm so infinitely sorry Sasuke ..." the fox demon whispered softly after washing his friend and bedding him onto the small futon. Sasuke was cold as death and still hadn't said a word. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. Naruto cuddled lovingly to his friend, still barely believing that he had almost murdered him. He had made him suffer, inflicted pain on him for something that wasn’t even his fault. On the contrary, Sasuke had suffered almost the same thing, if not worse. Naruto felt bad. His impulses had taken him by surprise and he had almost killed the most important person in his life.  
"I'm a monster ..." he whispered ruefully as he pulled the black-haired man close.  
He was really a monster. The villagers had been right.  
The fox demon suddenly felt cold fingers on his arm and opened his eyes just to look into his friend's now almost white-grey eyes.  
Shocked by the sight, but happy that his friend had regained consciousness; he pulled him closer into his arms and buried his face in the crook of his neck.  
"I'm so sorry Sasuke! I…"  
Sasukes cold hand slid slowly, even tenderly, into the demon's golden blonde hair.  
"You ... didn't do anything wrong," he whispered softly, his voice broken and rough.  
It was okay. He hadn't done anything wrong, even though Sasuke still didn't know what had happened. He sensed what was in the mess of his own memories.  
"Sasuke ...", sobbing and sniffing, the fox demon pressed himself against his friend. After all he had done, how could he say he hadn't done anything wrong?

◊◊◊

"Are you sure you don’t want me to help you?" Naruto asked worried and sneaked around his friend.  
He'd taken care of him for days - or at least tried to - and was glad that his friend could get up again, but he was worried.  
"If I stay in your care for another day, I will certainly die," Sasuke replied only, remembering the failed meals of the past few days. The fox had certainly meant well, but his culinary experiments had finally persuaded Sasuke to take care of it himself again as soon as possible.  
"You're mean ... I really did my best!"  
Naruto pouted, even though he was really happy that the Uchiha was feeling better. However, uncertainty remained. What was it, the fox had said? He had his life in his hand. If he wasn't careful, he might hurt him again.  
The very thought frightened the fox demon. He didn't want to lose him.  
If he had realized one thing in the past few days, it was that he truly loved Sasuke. He never wanted to be without him for even a second.  
But even though he was tempted to break the curse, he was afraid to harm his friend by trying. Who knew what would happen if he consciously concentrated his strength onto him.  
"Naruto, are you alright?"  
Sasuke suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts. He sensed something was wrong and Naruto still hadn't told him what exactly happened that night. He hardly remembered the events, only felt a hot, dull throbbing pain when he tried to remember.  
"I... oh nothing. I was just wondering what to hunt for you! "  
Sasuke paused for a moment. Inside him, he felt resistance to let his friend go alone.  
"Why don’t we just… stay inside today? We still have enough supplies. ”, He suggested, before even thinking.  
Naruto's furry ears straightened in surprise. Sasuke asked him to stay?  
How long had he dreamed of that moment? How many times had he tried to imagine what it would feel like and started grinning? He no longer knew, but now that it was happening, his mouth simply stood open.  
"You… eh..I should ... so you mean I should stay with you?", He repeated stuttering. Was he hallucinating?  
"Hm.", Sasuke just nodded silently, his back turned to him. Yes, he didn't want him to go and maybe not come back.

Sasuke winced as the arms of the fox demon hugged him from behind and pulled him close, his nose snuggled close to his neck and Naruto purred loud and satisfied.  
Sasuke felt the warmth on his face as he leaned his head and body against his friend, enjoying their intimacy for a moment.  
"Naruto ...", he finally started quietly and tried to find the right words for what he wanted to tell him - no – what he had to tell him.  
"Hm?" The demon grumbled and turned his ears a little to cuddle closer to his friend.  
"One day ... I won't be with you anymore."  
Sasuke's voice was shaky, uncertain. He hadn't wanted to tell him, but it was probably better to prepare the demon for the inevitable before it broke his heart.  
Naruto raised his head in shock and released the black-haired from his arms.  
"W-what are you saying? But why? Did I do something wrong? I… I will never hurt you again, I promise! I don't use my powers anymore! I-"  
"NARUTO!" Sasuke interrupted and finally turned to him.  
The pale hands rested gently on the demon's scarred cheeks.  
"Not because I don't want it, but because people don't live forever."  
The blonde felt a lump in his throat. Did that mean, no matter what he did, his friend would die? Sooner or later he would just die?  
"That too ... is time. Do you remember what I told you? ” Sasuke breathed softly and put his forehead against his friend's.  
"Nothing is eternal, Naruto. Not for us humans. "  
Naruto felt sick. That could not be true!  
"That ... I won't allow that," he replied stubbornly and put his arms around his friend again to pull him close.  
"If we die, then only together!"  
A moment passed, before Sasuke slowly put his hands around his friend and hugged him back. They both knew that the fate was not in their hands. Demons lived forever or were reborn like the gods, but humans were not. Human beings eventually die and leave nothing but the emptiness in the hearts of those who had survived.  
"I won't let you die," Naruto whispered again, making a decision at that moment. He would break his friend's curse and find a way to live together with him. Here or in the world of demons. There would be a place for them somewhere.


	16. Feelings

"Naruto you are crushing me."  
"No, I'm careful."  
Sasuke finally gave in and sighed softly. Since he had told the fox that their time together was limited, Naruto hardly ever left his side.  
He wanted him close, literally stuck to him. Whether they slept, bathed, or walked through the forest, the fox demon never left his side. He didn't want to leave him alone. Not now, not after what had happened and after learning that Sasuke could leave him at any time. At the risk that he himself might represent the greatest danger to his friend's life, he wanted to stay by his side.  
Sasuke's fingers stroked the blond strands tenderly, finally got stuck on the demon's neck and began to scratch him.  
"Don‘t be ridiculous. Humans don't die that quickly either. "  
"…Hm."  
Naruto just grunted and snuggled closer to his friend. He didn't want that. He didn't want him to die anytime. He wanted to stay with him forever.  
The fox demon's ears were put on, almost merging with his fuzzy blond hair.  
"You know ... I would like some meat. How about if you hunt some? I'm waiting here for you. "  
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, laying them on his friend's pale face.  
"But ... when I leave, you are all alone," he replied thoughtfully, his furry ears now hanging slightly.  
Sasuke would be alone. All alone, like all the time before. All those years he had spent alone and lonely in this forest.  
"Nothing will happen to me here. I'll be there when you come back. Promised."  
The blonde finally nodded thoughtfully. He would just hurry up and return to him as soon as possible.  
"Alright.", He only grumbled, but endend up snuggled up to his friend again. It was just too cozy to get up. His tails stroked lovingly over the blind man's body and let him sigh comfortably. It was nice by the demon's side. It felt warm, secure. As if nothing in the world could cause him any more pain, and even though Sasuke truly enjoyed this feeling, they couldn't lie around here and stick to each other. Time does not wait, so they had to make the best out of it, no matter how short this life was for him.

◊◊◊

With a quick, controlled movement, the fox demon tore a deer.  
His teeth sunk deep in the back of its neck and with the blood running down his mouth, he looked more animal than his humanoid figure would have suggested. But he loved this way of hunting and if he was honest he was a little afraid of his demonic powers.  
Not because he couldn't control it, but because he neither knew nor could estimate the extent of it.  
"What am I to do? Somehow I have to be able to break this curse ... “, the fox demon murmured to himself and let himself sink next to the dead deer for a moment.  
Looking back at his bloodstained hands, his friend's memories came again.

>> Power is a malicious friend. <<

A dark, lifeless voice pulled him out of his thoughts and the fox rose with a jerk. Nothing. He couldn't see anyone.

>> Poor little fox. Youre longing for it and yet are too scared to use it. But it is what you are looking for. <<

"Who are you?! Show yourself!"  
Naruto's pulse was racing. That voice ... it seemed terribly familiar to him, and yet it shook him to his core because of the ruthless cold with which it spoke. It was as if death itself spoke to him.  
A dark, harsh laugh was heard as his own shadow emerged from the floor and revealed itself to him.  
The fox demon's blue eyes stared in shock at the jet-black image of himself.

>> What you are looking for is power. <<

The shadow smiled maliciously and held out his hand to the demon.

>> Nothing is more powerful than the power of a full demon. The power to rule over life and death. All you have to do is to give yourself up to the shadows. <<

Naruto stared at his own shadow, unable to resist his words. Power?  
Power was what would help him? It made perfect sense. If he exceeded his mother's power, he would also be able to break her curse. He would be able to help his friend.  
Slowly the blonde raised his hand too. All that was needed was this one sacrifice.  
The shadow twisted the corners of his mouth into a dark smile. In a moment he would control him as he had done it with his mother.  
"Beware of the shadows," the words of the white fox suddenly echoed in his head and tore the blonde from his trance.

He slapped the shadow's hand aside and stood up to him.  
"I will never allow you to control me!"  
The shadow writhed in anger and finally broke away from the silhouette of the fox demon, revealing himself to him as a dark, faceless figure.  
"Curse you! You and the light inside your heart! "  
With a hiss, the dark figure disappeared, leaving nothing but the peaceful silence of the forest and the still trembling fox demon.  
That was close. This figure almost led him into the dark.  
"You're careless, fox demon," it croaked next to him suddenly and Naruto's gaze went down.  
A fat, reddish toad had joined him. To Naruto's surprise it was smoking a pipe.  
"I think I’m going crazy. When did frogs start smoking? "  
Confused, he crouched down to the toad and eyed it from all sides. His tails whirled excitedly through the air before he raised one of his clawed fingers to nudge the toad. He had never seen anything so strange!  
If you had seen the demon like this, you would have thought he was an oversized cat playing with something.

◊◊◊

Sasuke's white-grey irises roamed the room. Something had changed since that night. Not only did his senses deceive him far more often than they had before, no, he had the feeling something inside his body had changed as well. Despite knowing the danger it would take to reveal his memories to the demon, despite that he might have died, he hadn't hesitated for a second to show them to him.  
Murderer, the demon had called him. Words that still echoed in his ears. Killer…  
He was right. They had murdered the ones like him. Demons like gods and even though he was certainly not one of them, the blood of those murderers flowed through his veins.  
With a sigh, he put his knife aside, the smell of healing herbs hanging heavily in the room.  
If Naruto saw himself as a monster, what was he compared to him?  
How could he expect him to stay by his side, as it must be unbearable painful for the fox demon.  
"I'm such an idiot."  
He shook his and tried to suppress the grief that overwhelmed him. He had tried everything to get rid of him, had tried to suppress those feelings and longings, and yet it was him who didn't want to let him go anymore. The one who no longer wanted to imagine his life without this chaotic demon, was he.  
But he couldn't tell him. It wouldn’t be fair to tie him for selfish reasons. While his time was already running out, the demon's life had only just begun. Perhaps the best thing would be to forget, before it breaks him. There was no future for either of them. Nobody could stop time or change fate. All they had left were the memories of the past.

◊◊◊

"So that means I only need my ninth tail and I can break the curse ?!"  
"Whether it works is of course a matter of concentration, but theoretically that is the prerequisite, yes."  
"Master toad, you are awesome! I could kiss you! "  
"Don't even think about it!" Replied the toad in disgust at the idea of being kissed by this fox demon. Bad enough that people tried to get high now and then.  
"Yeah ok I won’t do it, but I can’t believe my luck! Thank you! I ... Oh God I have to tell Sasuke! "  
He rushed to put the toad back on the ground, grabbed the deer and made his way home. A tail! Only one more tail and he would be able to erase all the pain, all the torture. He would show Sasuke the world in all its colours and let him forget the dark years.  
He would show him their bright future.


	17. Hope

"Nine tails?" Asked the blind man in amazement after digesting the first shock about the size of the hunted deer and crystallizing out the core of the information that was gushing out of Naruto.  
"Yes exactly. I only need my ninth tail and then I can break the curse! "  
"And you think that because a toad told you?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow raised and an obviously skeptical undertone.  
"Not any toad. A toad with a pipe and a scar over one eye! I tell you, that was certainly a patron saint of the forest! "  
"For sure."  
Sasuke shook his head inwardly. Naruto was so naive. How would a toad know of his powers? Didn't the demon races usually stay among their own kind?  
"Don't you believe me? I know what I saw! "  
"I don't doubt what you saw, only what a speaking toad with a pipe thinks it knows about your and my fate," Sasuke replied dryly, adding more wood to warm the fire in the hut.  
"But why should he(he or it but choose one) lie? That doesn't make any sense. ”, Naruto growled, slightly offended. He had hoped for a little more enthusiasm from his friend.  
"I'm not saying he lied, but we shouldn't have too high expectations (either: “we shouldn't have too many expectations” or “our expectations shouldn't be too high”). How would you if it's true? We don't know anything about your powers or what a ninth tail would change. Maybe…"  
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, remembering the black flames of that night.  
"Maybe these are powers that you can no longer control."  
Naruto hesitated at these words. He hadn't thought about that yet, but Sasuke's objection was justified. He remembered the overwhelming impressions of the past few times. A force that was boiling inside him that could hardly be controlled, he had burned down entire parts of the forest during the first attempts.  
"But ... it's our only chance ...", he finally breathed softly and let his head sadly.  
He wanted to help him, and now that the solution was within reach, he couldn’t take the opportunity?“  
Sasuke's fingers gently pushed against the fox's cheeks, causing the demon to look up again.  
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it, but a little caution would certainly be appropriate. We don't know what will happen if you ever release that power, nor do we know how to achieve it. Please don't do anything stupid. "  
Naruto's mouth twisted into a slightly amused smile.  
"I would never ~"

◊◊◊

  
"Sasuke?"  
"Hm?"  
The two young men sat lost in thought under the open starry sky. It was surprisingly warm that night, so Naruto had taken his friend outside to listen to the soft sound of nature while they were sitting together.  
"If I broke the curse, what do you want to see first?"  
The fox had been preoccupied with the question for a long time, since he had described all kinds of wonderful scenarios to the Uchiha during their time together. Flower meadows that stretched across entire valleys, sparkling stars in the glowing night sky and the warm colors of the sunset when they returned home together in the fading light, and each time Sasuke had enjoyed listening to his stories.  
"Sasuke?" The fox demon asked softly again when he didn't get an answer to his question. Had his friend fallen asleep?  
But Sasuke just remained silent at his side, arms folded over his knees and eyes closed, his head tilted towards the sky.  
What did he want to see first? For many years he had wondered what had escaped his eyes, how the world had changed around him and how he himself had changed. Yet these things became meaningless in the face of something else. Something that interested him far more.  
"You.", He finally replied and opened his white-gray eyes, which reflected the stars.  
A moment passed. A moment of complete silence, as if the fox demon had trouble processing the information that had just been thrown at his feet.  
Him? After all this time, after all the years of darkness, the first thing the blind man wanted to see ... was him?  
Sasuke noticed the reaction of the fox demon and grinned cautiously.  
"Stupid, isn't it? I have the choice to see a whole world and the first thing I choose is the face of the idiot who has been driving me crazy for years. ”  
He laughed softly at himself. If he was honest, they were both idiots.  
Silence pervaded the scene once more. Silence that made the Uchiha sit up and take notice, it was atypical for Naruto to not immediately complain about the insult.  
"Naru-?"  
Even before he got the name of the blonde pronounced, he found himself in his arms.  
Naruto said nothing. No syllable came over his lips. All he did was hold him in his arms and nestle himself against him.  
Sasuke leaned his head against the demon's shoulder and stroked his head.  
Sometimes, on nights like this, time seemed to stand still for them.  
A soft hiss finally made the demon look up. He looked around, his furry ears raised steeply.  
"Naruto? What was that?"  
Sasuke, irritated, also released himself from the hug. Again. A hiss above their heads.  
"Incredible ..." Naruto just whispered and stared stunned but fascinated at the glowing sky. He had never seen anything like it.  
"Naruto, what-?"  
"Falling stars ... thousands of... falling stars."  
The sight was breathtaking and a minute passed before Naruto realized what was happening around them. He grabbed the Uchiha's hand hastily.  
"Come on, make a wish!"  
The blind man stumbled in surprise at his movement. He should do what?  
"It's just a fairy tale. Shooting stars do not make any wishes come true, ”Sasuke finally replied, but had caught himself believing in this illusion for a moment. Not that he really could have wished for anything out of the blue.  
Indignant but also pitying, the fox looked at his friend. Had he stopped believing that it was working?  
“Nothing is impossible if you really believe in it. I'll prove it to you! "  
He hooked their fingers together and looked up at the sky.  
>> I wish Sasuke could see the sky. I hope that he can see the sky at least once! <<  
His heart was racing and with eyes narrowed, he repeated his words in his mind until the fire inside him spread to the tips of his tails.

Sasuke just shook his head. It was hopeless. No matter how much they believed in miracles, wanted to believe or prayed to the stars, they would not fulfill any wish. Their world didn't work that way.  
The Uchiha flinched in shock when Naruto's aura literally glowed next to him and before he could have detached himself, a hot, stabbing impulse seized him.  
Not pain, but a burning sensation that poured over him like a huge wave and made him dizzy for a moment.  
Panting, he opened his eyes, hesitated.  
In front of him the night sky stretched in golden and orange colors, interspersed with the sparkling streaks of falling stars and the small, glittering stars that almost faded in the golden glow of the comets.  
Speechless and completely fascinated, the actually blind boy stared at the sky, felt the light spreading inside him and let the darkness, the pain and the suffering of the years fade for a moment.  
That couldn't be real.

Minutes passed before Naruto himself opened his eyes again and immediately turned to his friend. For the first time he could see them, the actually black, shining eyes of his friend, who stared at the sky completely stunned, while the demon only had eyes for him.  
Was that what people called hope?  
If the stars had given him that wish, would he be able to break the curse and be happy with him?  
"I told you it works." The demon finally whispered softly, pulling the black-haired man out of his trance. Slowly, hesitantly, Sasuke looked away from the spectacle of the glowing sky, felt his heart beating faster. He could see. It might only be for that one moment, but that was all he wanted. He wanted to see him.  
Looking slowly at his friend, the smile finally faded from his face.  
"Sasuke, what-?"  
The fox looked in shock at his friend, whose iridies turned back into the shallow white-grey.  
A sad smile played around the Uchiha's lips.  
The stars seemed to fulfill wishes, but not those of ordinary people.


	18. Certainty

"There must be a way ..."

Lost in thought, the fox demon wandered through the forest, almost running into a tree again due to the lack of attention to his surroundings - the third one that day.

He had felt it. The strength inside when he spoke to the stars and yet no new tail had appeared to him.

Was it because he couldn't control the power inside himself? Was he too young, compared to the other demons?. Was this maybe the reason? Hadn't he reached the right age yet? No, it couldn't be. He was of legal age, had reached the age limit at which his power began to grow steadily. It had to be something else. But what was it?

Frustrated with himself, he had spent the past few days looking for solutions; for a way to help his friend. Something that would give him that tail and unleash it’s power - the power of a full-fledged fox demon.

He wanted to help him so much, finally wanted to take all the suffering away from him and yet it seemed as if fate would deny him the opportunity to use his own power. No matter what he had done, a ninth tail wouldn’t appear to him and even the slightest bit too much energy was enough to achieve exactly the opposite of what he had hoped for. The eyes of the Uchiha seemed to get whiter every day. Time was running through his fingers, like fine sand – his and his loved ones.

Frustrated with himself and the inability to find a solution, the fox demon leaned his forehead against a tree and closed his eyes for a moment. The furry ears were hanging down the side of his head, the arms dangling resignedly next to his body. What was he to do?

The forest animals watched him with curiosity. Demons were no stranger to them, and yet Naruto seemed different from his peers. He looked naive, awkward and by no means domineering. Years had passed since the forest dwellers saw such a kind-hearted fox demon. It was Naruto's mother who had shaped the heart of the forest long time ago.

"Aaaah it’s driving me crazy! How am I supposed to break this curse if I can't even solve this riddle?! "

The blonde pulled his hair and turned around at once, almost tripping over a tree root. Annoyed, he sank to the forest floor and looked up at the sky.

"Hey wind! You always have something witty to say. Speak to me!"

But the spirit of the wind remained silent.

Not that the puzzles of the wind spirit really helped him, but it nagged Naruto to know that due to his own lack of experience of the processes of his development, he was stuck. It frustrated him immensely.

_"It's not bad not to find answers as long as you don’t stop looking for them."_

Naruto's ears rose sharply when he heard the gentle, even lovely voice that tore him out of his thoughts so carefully. His eyes went back to the ground where a slug was crawling on its way.

The fox looked confused at the slimy creature.

"What is that supposed to mean? If I don't find the answers, won't I get anywhere? "

The snail laughed a little. How many centuries she had lived in this forest, had seen the generations of animals and demons come and go, and yet had rarely seen such a naive one among them.

"You shouldn't laugh at me, but answer my question!" Naruto grumbled and folded his arms. With his ears slightly put on, he was sulking a little offended. They all just made fun of him all the time! It wasn’t his fault that no one had taught him these things. He had been alone, always. No one had taught him how the demon world worked or what life he was born into.

_"Listen to your heart, your instinct. Have you never wondered why most of your kind doesn’t live in the human world? ”_

The snail crept leisurely on its way and only glanced at the young fox demon to say goodbye. She had told him everything he needed to know. What he made of this knowledge now had to be seen.

◊◊◊

"SASUKE I GOT THE SOLUTION!"

With a loud bang the door of the small wooden hut opened, almost tearing it from its hinges. The blind one was startled, almost had chopped off his hand in fright as he was preparing their dinner.

"Are you crazy ?! Do you want to kill me ?! ”, he replied gruffly and put a hand on his chest. His heart was racing; the demon had startled him so much. He felt his own pulse hammering hard against his own skin.

"Sorry ..." Naruto grumbled gulty, but took a quick step towards his friend to tell him the news.

"I now know how to get my ninth tail!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and stroked his hair.

"Let me guess, the toad told you?"

"Naah- A snail!"

"A snail…"

Sasuke's dry tone revealed what he thought of this statement.

Now Naruto wanted to make fun of him, right? First toads with pipes in their mouths, now talking snails?

"Yes, a snail. Well, actually she didn't tell me exactly, but after thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense. I have to go to the realm of demons! "

Sasuke paused for a moment. Not that he wasn't surprised, or rather slightly alarmed, when Naruto spoke of thinking about something, no; Naruto had thought about the words of a slug and had come to a conclusion that was somewhat questionable in the human’s eyes.

The Uchiha's face spoke volumes without him been able to prevent it, and Naruto himself noticed how strange he must have sounded.

"Okay, listen. So the snail said I should think about why the demons prefer to stay in their world instead of living in the human world, although it is much more fun here and the reason is actually very obvious: The magical energy is much stronger in the demon world than it is here. ”

Sasuke had to admit that this explanation made sense – although reluctant.

"And you think if you go into the realm of the demons, you will get your last tail from the more powerful energy?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, even if his friend couldn't see him.

"Exactly and if I have it, I'll come back and break your curse. I thought about it carefully. As soon as I have found the entrance, I will enter in the morning and I’ll be back by sunset! ”

He grinned happily, his tails whirling euphorically around them both.

Finally he was sure how to help his friend.

"Hm ..." Sasuke grumbled.

The Uchiha didn't like anything about this plan. He couldn't explain it, but a premonition crept up his spine without manifesting itself in a clear picture. He felt uncomfortable with the thought.

"And you are sure that nothing will happen to you? If the energy is too strong, you could lose your mind. "

Sasuke was worried, seriously worried and he couldn't suppress the uneasiness inside. It wouldn‘t be the first time that the demon's power overpowered him and made him lose control. He remembered the forest fire a few years ago that was caused by the fox. Sure, Naruto also repaired the damages afterwards with his powers, but Sasuke wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t regained control…

"I believe you, but we don't know where the entrance of the demon realm is, at least not exactly. So what are you going to do? "

"I will trust my instincts. The snail said it would guide me and that means that it must be preprogrammed somewhere in my blood to find this portal. ”

Confident, almost arrogant, the demon stuck out his chest.

"Like the hero in shining armor, I will return victorious and free the virgin from her misery," he announced loudly, only making the blind one raising an eyebrow.

"Hero in shining armour? Damsel in distress? Say ... you secretly licked this toad, didn’t you? "

Naruto clearly had lost his mind. Damsel in distress ...

"Eh ... no. I overheard some humans. In their stories the hero always saves the virgin and since I want to save you, I am the hero and you the damsel in distress. "

Sasuke was speechless for a moment.

So much for thinking thing through.


	19. Love

Tired, the fox demon snuggled deeper into the warm blanket of the futon next to his friend before he soaked in the scent of the boy next to him and buried his nose in his hair. He loved the smell, the warmth and security that Sasuke exuded. Things he never wanted to exist without anymore.

Lost in thought, the demon's hand stroked his friend's stomach.

He was sure of it. He wanted to spend his life with him. It all felt right when he was with him. He finally felt welcome, at home, and even though Sasuke had clearly conveyed to him that he didn't want to be his female, the fox demon couldn't help but give in to the sweet hope that his friend was simply held back by human morality and deep inside felt the same for him.

"What are you thinking about?" Sasuke finally broke the silence. He noticed the fox demon brooding. Oddly enough, he could sense when something was wrong with his friend.

Naruto just chuckled to himself before rolling over his friend and resting his hands on the futon next to him.

"Are you sure you want to know that?" He asked cheekily, lowering his head to lightly bite the black-haired ones neck. They hadn't spoiled each other for a long time.

The Uchiha moaned softly, felt the heat rushing through his loins. Morally reprehensible or not, Naruto knew exactly how to get there, even if he hadn't previously been allowed to go all the way. Naruto had tried. More than once, he had at least his fingers in a place where Sasuke hadn't actually allowed him to. But he had never completely crossed the border.

Sasuke was still unsure why the fox demon was doing all of this. He wanted to be with him, he had said, wanted to save him. But could demons love? Could he allow himself to give in to the demon's insistence if they didn't have a future together anyway?

Sasuke no longer knew when his heart had started to open to the demon and yearn for his presence, but it seemed wrong to tie him up. If he died it would break Naruto’s heart and he didn't want that. He didn't want to hurt him.

"You are ... impossible." So he finally grumbled and tried to push Naruto away from him. However, the demon already knew this cat and mouse game and knew exactly how far he could go. His hand went down between Sasukes legs and a triumphant smile settled on his lips.

"You are pretty hot," he whispered in a husky voice and finally pushed himself over his friend. The blonde mane disappeared under the blanket and a few minutes later excited sounds filled the small hut in the middle of the forest.

◊◊◊

The messy, black strands stood in all directions when the Uchiha rose from his bed in the morning. He felt beat, drained and actually he would have preferred to stay right in his bed. It was a mere natural need that had driven him out of the house at this godless hour. Naruto has had his fun with him all night, couldn't get enough of him. If he hadn't known better, Sasuke would have believed that the demon wanted to devour him.

A slight blush rose to his cheeks at the memories of last night.

He almost lost control over himself. He had let him go farther than before, got involved in his teasing play with tongue and fingers and almost made the mistake of completely submitting to him. Looking back, however, he couldn't even regret it.

It had felt right, even if it was probably not.

Sighing softly, the Uchiha retreated back into the house and lay back under his blanket. No, today he would take the liberty of doing absolutely nothing. He couldn't help Naruto anyway. It was he alone, who could find the portal.

◊◊◊

The energy inside him seemed to overflow. The last night had inspired him, pushed him forward, and shown him that there was hope. He had allowed it. Sasuke had let him do it, though not all the way yet. But every beginning was difficult. At least he had picked it up from the villagers once, so he was content with what he had achieved the previous night. With a wide grin, he jumped through the treetops, looking for the portal to the realm of demons.

The soft ringing of a bell finally made him listen. He listened to the movement. The bell rang again - Quiet, almost silent, like a ghostly omen. He followed the sound and reached little hill on which the white fox had appeared to him. The ringing had stopped and yet he felt the energy boil inside him.

"That energy ..." Naruto whispered softly, looking at his hands. He felt the power rush through him. Pulsating, hot and tempting, but there was no sign of a portal anywhere. His eyes finally wandered to the narrow stone on which the white fox had settled when they first met.

The clear ocean blue eyes widened when the solution seemed so obvious to him. The white fox, the memories and the strength that had overwhelmed him until he almost killed his friend, even though he hadn't given any impulse himself. This mountain was the gateway to the world of demons. The energies were so strong that they even reached into the human world.

His first impulse was to open the gate and enter the world of demons, but his heart reminded him of the promise he had made to his friend. He would say goodbye to him beforehand, even if he didn't plan to leave for more than half a day.

Also, there was something he wanted to give him. Something to protect him while he was gone.

◊◊◊

Grinning, the fox demon crawled under the covers when, to his surprise, he found his friend sleeping. Sasuke looked so relaxed and peaceful. The sight made the fox demon's heart beat faster. Gentle, and careful not to wake his friend, he stroked a few strands of stray hair from his face. Soon. Soon he would be able to tell him what he felt for him. Sure, he could do it now, and yet it seemed impossible to express his feelings, when it was he, who caused Sasukes suffering. No. One does not hurt the person they love. He couldn’t speak about his love until he broke the curse.

"Hmmm ... Naruto?" Sasuke finally grumbled sleepily when the demon's caresses brought him out of his slumber.

"You don't want it again, do you-?" Sasuke asked in horror, feeling the close hug of his friend all too clearly.

"Oh, if you’re asking like that… I always want you, at any time of the day or night. But no ... I ... found the portal. "

It took a moment before the Uchiha was awake enough to process his friend’s words. He had found the portal? So that meant he was going to leave him? Sasuke couldn't help but feel a short, painful stab in his heart. He didn't know why. After all, Naruto would come back. He wouldn’t even be gone a whole day. Then what was this terrible feeling that ran through his body at the very though?

The blonde's hug tightened slightly as he felt the tension in his friend's body.

"I promise I'll be back before sunset and if I don't have my tail by then, I'll try again at a different time."

Sasuke sighed softly. He didn't like the situation, but as it seemed, nothing and no one could stop the demon from doing what he wanted to do.

So he finally nodded and turned to hug his friend.

"I will accompany you to the entrance tomorrow and wait for you."

Naruto grinned happily. He was happy about this gesture. More than he would have admitted at this point.

"But tell me ..." the fox demon finally purred, running his hands over his friend's back.

"... how about a farewell gift?"

The tone of his voice suggested where he was going and Sasuke's cheeks were turning into a dark purple red.

"You're joking, right?!"


	20. Farewell

The pale light of the small fire flickered gently in their hut, which was filled with excited groans.  
After a dinner together and a hot bath, the demon could no longer hold back. He wanted him, he wanted it and he wanted his friend to want it too. It was as if the longing was already eating him up inside, but he would really only disappear for a day. But a day without his friend seemed like a really long time and who knew if he really could get back until sunset? He had a bad feeling, but the young fox demon couldn't figure out what it was.  
He pushed the thought aside and ran his tongue over his friend's aroused dick again before moving down further.  
With a smile, he noticed how his friend was tensing up. Something he always did when Naruto pleased him like that.  
Enjoying, the demon slid his tongue over the small, tight hole, massaging his friend's shaft. He knew Sasuke liked it, even if his human pride hardly allowed him to show it openly.  
Smacking softly, the demon's mouth pressed against the rosy hole, broke it with his playful tongue and spoiled the young man in front of him with everything the demon had to offer.  
Sasuke's panting developed into a low, subdued moan, until Naruto's fingers finally replaced the soft tongue and thus elicited more intense, even sweeter sounds from the Uchiha.  
The blond watched the face of his friend who turned beneath him with lust excitedly. It wasn't the first time he stimulated him using his fingers, but it was the first time that he only did it with them, paying no attention to Sasukes cock whole doing it. Nevertheless, he dripped hot silver strings onto his own belly, throbbing with lust. The irritating sight was hard to bear.  
Growling, the fox pushed over his friend, between his legs and rubbed against him. Letting his teeth slide gently over the delicate skin of the crook of his neck, he felt the heat inside his man, the pleasure inside himself. The bewitching smell of his excitement made Naruto purr with lust.  
"Sasuke ... I want ..." he snarled, demonstratively pushing another finger into his friend's tight, hot opening. He wanted him. He finally wanted to pop his cherry.  
Sasuke surrendered shivering to this third finger, already feeling completely dazed by the feeling of his own, shameless lust when the question, rather the fox's request, brought him back to reality for a moment.  
Naruto rubbed his lower half against his friend, knew that he wouldn‘t agree, and felt the disappointment already rising when he finally noticed only a tentative, quiet nod on his shoulder. Could it be?

◊◊◊

Before the Uchiha could change his mind, Naruto engaged him in a hot, passionate kiss and finally removed his fingers. He pushed his tongue stormily towards his friend, embroiled him in a small, unfair dominance struggle, just to make sure that he wasn't just dreaming of all this.  
It was as if that one gesture had unleashed the pent-up desire of centuries. The fox demon grabbed his own rod greedily and in a rush, rubbing it against his friend's opening before slowly pushing himself into ist depths with gentle force. He couldn't wait, had waited too long for this moment.  
A choppy, tormented sound escaped Sasuke, but fell silent in the demon's next kiss, which almost took Sasukes breath away.  
Certainly and in accordance with his animal instinct, Naruto slowly pushed himself into his friend, shivering hotly with the all-encompassing, twitching narrowness and heat inside his friend. How many times had he dreamed of this moment? How many times had he imagined what it would be like and how it would feel? Nothing, not a single one of his ideas came close to the feeling, that was flowing through him at this moment. They were one. His energy flowed through his friend's body as his flowed through himself.  
It was only when he was completely immersed inside him that he released the kiss and buried his head in the crook of his friend's neck.  
"You feel so good ... Sasuke. So good… ”, he whispered in excitement and finally began to slowly move his pelvis against him.

Sasuke's face initially twisted into a pained, distorted expression. Overwhelmed by the urgent, hot feeling of their union, he barely managed to relax enough to take the demon to the hilt. Not that it prevented Naruto from pushing himself deeper and deeper into his hole to pound him lustfully. It was right. Sasuke's body accepted him, he could feel it.  
"Ah-!"  
Choked, the human groaned as the demon's rhythmic thrusts weighed his body and let him feel that he had dropped his own limits. He had succumbed to him, that morose demon who had crept slowly and steadily into his heart over the years and had finally taken it for himself. He didn't care if it was right. No matter if they had no future together. Tonight, at least that night, he wanted to believe that they could be together.

◊◊◊

The young bodies huddled hotly together, swaying in the glow of the incoming moonlight. How long had they indulged each other? He no longer knew and Sasuke also seemed to have completely forgotten the time. Overwhelmed by the fire of their passion, they rolled over the futon and let their greed run free.  
The pheromone-laden air seemed to boil as Naruto changed position again and and pounded hard against his friend from behind, his teeth burrowed slightly in the back of his neck. The clapping sound of their wet bodies disturbed the nightly silence, mingled with the excited groan of the young man, who already had lost his mind in the pleasing game of their desire.  
The fox shoot hot and sticky loads inside him again, pressed against him and seemed to want to make it clear to him that he belonged to him alone. That night was theirs only.  
Only in the early hours of the morning they left each other satisfied. Exhausted but happy, they sank to bed next to each other, fell asleep side by side, their bodies still naked and stained by the shameless hustle and bustle of their night together. Purring, the fox demon pulled the blanket over them and the black-haired inside his arms.  
He couldn't put into words how happy he was. They had become one. He and his beloved.

◊◊◊

It was the teasing sunbeams that tickled the two boys awake and announced the dawn of a new morning. Humming darkly, Sasuke buried his head in the neck of the fox demon, who looked anything but enthusiastic about having to get up now. Had he known that his farewell present would be so tempting, he would have postponed his departure until the afternoon.  
But it couldn’t be helped. The sooner he left, the sooner he would be back and then he could finally enjoy life to the fullest with his friend.  
So he only purred briefly, letting his clawed fingers slide through his lover's black mane and lovingly scratched him awake. Even if he had to get up, he could treat himself to a little cuddling in the morning.

The way up the mountain took longer than it would have if he had traveled alone, but Naruto didn't want to be without his friends company. Together they strolled through the peaceful forest, where Naruto had taken his friend's hand. He finally knew what people meant by having butterflies in their belly. After their last night, it seemed like he had a whole butterfly colony raging inside. Sasuke, on the other hand, had hardly spoken a word to him before. Was he in pain? People said the first time was painful, even if the demon hadn't felt like their lovemaking last night had displeased his friend.  
He looked thoughtfully at the Uchiha, who silently climbed hand in hand with him up the hill, on which both of their fates had already connected.

Sasuke's silence, however, had a different reason. The strange feeling inside him grew stronger with every step towards the mountain. It was as if something told him, not to let his friend go. Something that told him, not to let go of that hand that lovingly guided him. It was difficult for him after the last night as well. He still felt the dull throbbing pain of their union, but a hint of concern had already overwhelmed him during their departure.  
"We are here."  
Naruto's words pulled him out of his thoughts. It was time to say goodbye.  
Naruto gave him a gentle, loving smile as he finally released his friend's hand and turned to face him.  
"Sasuke ... I-!", He hesitated and shook his head over himself. Now it had almost slipped out. But no. He would wait and tell him when the time was right. If he came back and could look into the Uchiha's beautiful black eyes, he would tell him that he loved him. More than his own life.  
So the demon just reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, bright orange talisman in the shape of a gem to hang it around his friend's neck.  
“This talisman is part of me. A piece of me will stay with you and protect you. When I'm back ... I have to tell you something. I promise I will be back before sunset "  
The Uchiha worriedly embraced his blonde friend.  
"I'll wait for you, Naruto."  
The blond smiled happily before opening the gate to the demon realm and disappeared.


	21. Time

A wide field of brightly colored, floating spheres stretched before the eyes of the young demon when his body had finally manifested itself in the strange world. It almost looked like the Northern Lights were reflected on the smooth surfaces of the spheres.  
He could feel the energies; The magic that flowed through his veins and caused him to take a few deep breaths of the vibrating air.  
He had done it. The realm of demons. A place he hadn’t even known from stories.  
It looked calm, scary even. Silence. No twittering of birds, no rustling of the tree tops, nothing. Time seemed to stand still in this world so alien to him.  
"Well ... and now?" He just wondered, looking behind himself. No tail.  
Well, it wouldn't be as easy as he had imagined.  
His eyes focused on a crystal spire that could be seen in the distance and that reflected the warm light of the sky.  
Naruto decided to follow the winding path to his feet, following his instinct that led him straight to the tower.

"Really strange"  
The young fox demon looked around and yet he saw nothing. This world, that seemed exciting to him at first sight, was also creeply silent. He hadn't seen anyone, hadn't met anyone. Neither animal, nor spirit, nor any other form of life had crossed his path. Even the flowers in the seemingly endless expanse of these fields were made of crystals. A fascinating sight, but it lacked the feeling of warmth that the human world had taught him. Apparently there was nothing here. Not even the smell of the wind, the plants or the seasons. He felt nothing, in this almost infinite space.  
A cold shiver ran down his spine when he found himself thinking that he might have had to spend his life in this world if he was a full-blooded demon. No, he preferred the human world, even if it was only Sasuke who had shown him the loving side of people.  
"Sasuke ..."  
The fox demon stared lost to the sky. Would he really be able to manifest his tail by sunset? He had to.  
After all, he had promised him.

◊◊◊

It felt like hours had passed before the fox demon finally reached a plateau. A huge crystal plateau, shimmering in all colors, in the shape of a hexagon, on the sides of which marble columns towered and came together under an ornate roof. It appeared alien to the blonde, unnatural and hand-made and yet so supernatural, as if it had always been in this place.  
He could almost grasp the energy in the air and a heavy, shuddering sigh escaped the demon's fine lips as it flowed through his body. He turned in all directions under the pavilion roof and found that nothing really existed around him; Nothing but the strange spheres and this lonely pavilion.  
"I knew you would come to this place."  
Startled, the demon spun around when he heard the low, whispering voice that he had heard so many times before. A voice that only he understood.  
"Where are you? Who are you?"  
His eyes searched the clouds, which were a rich cream tone in the glow of the slowly sinking sun.  
"I'm here, everywhere," it echoed out of nowhere.  
"Are you afraid? Are you angry? It was you who was looking for power, naive little fox. "  
Naruto's hair on the back of his neck rose and, unwillingly, his young body tense under the provocation of that voice.  
"Show yourself already! What do you want from me?"  
The demon's furry tails lashed against the dazzling floor below, making it vibrate.  
The warm light of the setting sun was reflected in the crystal surface of the pavilion, illuminating the body of the demon, who was at the center of this spectacle.  
Naruto's gaze, however, wandered aimlessly through the air, hoping to find the origin of the voice that mocked him.  
"SHOW YOURSELF!"  
His tails hit the floor again, causing it to shake. What was this game about?  
"What do you desire?"  
Quiet, seductive and yet so meaningless, the voice caressed the demon, making him feel that he had to face only one thing in this place: himself.  
He heard the blood singing in his ears. What did he desire? His tail. The strength to help his friend. But it wasn’t it that very desire for power, that alomost had him succumb to the shadows? Didn't that mean he gave into the darkness when striving for the power he needed?  
The thoughts made his head ache. He needed it. He wanted power, but he rejected the darkness that came with it.  
His jaw tensed, his usually deep blue eyes crossed with blood-red streaks.  
"What ... are you craving?" It whispered again.  
Naruto sank to his knees, felt the invisible hand around his throat. The darkness that seemed to reach for his heart was trying to take him over.  
"Get lost!"  
The fox demon bent over on the plateau, growling. He would never succumb. Not for all the power in this world.  
"What are you craving?"  
Naruto's fingers scratched the smooth floor, leaving long marks on the polished crystal structure. The reflection showed only himself - Him and the strength it took him to resist this darkness.  
// Sasuke ... I'm coming back. I WILL come back!//  
Seconds turned into minutes and pushed him to the limits of his consciousness. Seconds filled with pain, full of fear of whether he could keep his promise.  
"Love."  
The demon looked up as the sun directed a blazing beam of light at him. The gentle, loving voice tore the blonde from his fear and was able to pull him into the present.  
His gaze wandered over the blurred figure in front of his eyes, whose long, fiery red hair swayed gently in the wind.  
His mother's hand stroked his cheek like a gentle breeze, her warm eyes on the young demon.  
"I'm so proud of you."  
Naruto's eyes filled with tears. A dream? A hallucination? He did not care. It felt so real, the warmth of his mother.  
He wrapped his arms around her and let his feelings wash over him. It was her and nothing about her resembled the cruel form that had cursed his friend. Was it happiness he felt? Relief? He didn't know and he didn't care.  
A loving, yet sorrowful smile lay on Kushina's lips as she ran her hand over her son's back. They only had this one moment. Nothing more would be granted to them, because her live had ended long ago. Here, in the depths of the demon world.  
She kissed him gently on the forehead and disappeared in the form of sparkling, golden particles into nothing, like a vague illusion.  
The blond slowly rose, wiping his eyes with his forearm.  
He had his answer. What he wanted was love because it gave him the strength he needed.  
The whispering voice was gone.  
He was alone. Alone in the middle of a world which made no sense to him and which had shown him what he really wanted.  
A dim, shimmering light on his back finally made the blond turn his head.  
His body began to tingle, turning in the hot waves of energy that were flooding his veins at that moment, enfolding him completely.  
He made it.

The demon's tails, shimmering in the golden glow, reflected the remaining light of the sunset, making the sun pale with envy at the sight.  
"Welcome home, little fox."  
A friendly, strange voice reached the demon's ears and made him look down.  
"W ... what?" He asked, looking at the beautiful fox in front of his eyes. An ordinary red fox, if you looked at him like that and yet he also had several tails.  
In a moment's notice, various portals were revealed around the demon; Each on a different side of the crystal pavilion. Suddenly Naruto realized why he hadn’t met anyone - It wasn't just a twilight world. There were hundreds of worlds available to the demons.  
"But, I don't want to stay at all. I want to go home, to Sasuke. “, He replied confused and let his gaze wander over the portals. Not a single one of them led him into the human world.  
"Home?" The red fox repeated perplexed and at first did not understand what the blond was trying to say.  
"Home. To the human world! To my friend!” Naruto repeated energetically. Even in the portals, demons fell out of the trees and stuck their heads curiously into the scenery.  
"But ... don't you know?" The fox replied obviously at loss for words.  
Naruto felt sick. What was it that he should know?  
"One day in our world, one hundred years in the human world."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are now, the last chapter!  
> I really hope you liked the story so far.   
> I'm going to link the song I chose for the last chapter below. Enjoy the last chapter and if you like to, feel free to leave a comment.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eFupkM30r8 (Celine Dion -Ashes)

The words hit him like a ton of bricks.

Naruto stared at the red fox in silence and unmoving. He had spoken the words with such confidence, like it was something he had to know, and it took Naruto a moment to realize what it meant. It felt like a punch to the gut

His eyes were on the sun.

The day wasn’t over yet, the sun was still in the sky.

Without a second thought, he ran.

The gates, the demon world, nothing mattered – even the power to break the curse. He was driven by fear alone; The fear and despair of being too late.

As fast as his legs carried him, he ran back to the portal that had led him into this world. He could do it. No, he had to do it. He had to see him again.

He had to see that it was a lie.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't be!

He had promised to come back and show him the world.

The fear inside him pushed him further. Fear and regret. Why? Why had no one told him that time passed at different speeds in their worlds?

"SASUKEEEE!"

◊◊◊

He didn't know what it was that made him climb the mountain all the time; Taking on the road only to realize that Naruto hadn't returned.

The blind man remembered that his friend hadn‘t retuned no matter how long he had been waiting for him.

Not that evening and not in the many, endless hours afterwards.

Days, weeks, months, and finally years had passed. All that time he had been waiting for him; Waiting for something that would never come, leaving him to his own gruelling thoughts - thoughts that still occupied his mind.

Why did he let him go? Why hadn't he told him that he wanted to be with him? Had he been too scared? Was he afraid to let him get too close and finally too deep inside his heart?

The pendant Naruto had given him comforted him, and yet it was as if a part of his heart had disappeared with the demon that day.

What was he thinking to believe the demon would come back?

Maybe there was a reason why he didn't come back. Maybe it was the power that overwhelmed him or maybe, had he ... forgotten him? He’s gone through the same thoughts countless times already. He would never get an answer.

It was an icy, snowy winter day on which the Uchiha made his way to the summit again. His slender body was pale and the wrinkled face was now surrounded by white, stray hair. A light beard encircled the bony face, which was already slightly sunken and the once gray irides shimmered almost as white as the snow that covered the vast landscape.

It took all of Sasuke's strength to climb this path. A path he had climbed for the first time almost a hundred years ago. A path that had given him so many years of pain, suffering and lost hope, and yet the blind man refused to give up the hope that his friend would return; Hope that seemed to be demanding it’s price after all this time.

He had stopped counting how many moons and seasons had passed by. All this time he had hoped that the fox's loud, even obnoxious voice would pull him out of his sleep and his warmth would envelop him. A voice he hardly remembered after all these years. It faded slowly from his memory, like the warmth Naruto had given him all this time ago.

Breathing heavy, the old man sunk into the snow.

It was time. His time had come.

Sasuke's bony fingers closed tightly on the now almost colorless talisman that Naruto had left him.

The demon's energy that had protected him all this time had been used up.

Like a magical hourglass, it seemed to have extended his lifetime by half a century, because humans didn't even live half as long as he did. The warmth emanating from Naruto's jewelry faded between Sasukes fingers, like the time it had given him.

Sasuke leaned back thoughtfully, his back pressed against the icy stone on which the white fox spirit had once sat. He felt it. His time had come.

A thin, sorrowful smile settled on his lips before he slowly tilted his head back and turned his blind irides toward the sky.

"I'm sorry, Naruto but I think ... I can't wait any longer."

◊◊◊

Pain. A dull, stabbing pain throbbed in the chest of the fox demon when he saw the memories of the man rushing past. In his mind he had called for Sasuke, wanted to see his life. The time Sasuke had spent alone; Time that even a demon could not bring back.

>> He’s not coming back. Maybe he got lost? Probably. He is an idiot. He's probably lost. <<

Sasuke smiled with amusement at he thought of Naruto wandering aimlessly through the demon world. As usual, he hadn't thought it through properly.

Slowly he rose from his place on the hill and hiked back home. He would come back tomorrow. The blond had probably lost track of time.

>> He’s not coming back. Why am I still walking this path? He won't come back. Surely he has already forgotten me. <<

Sasuke shook his head as he climbed the hill again after two years; Years in which he had waited so desperately, in vain. Would he come back today? Would he ever return?

>> Naruto. I'm here. I am waiting for you and I will ... not stop waiting. Why won’t you come back? What happened in that world? It's been ten years now. The people around me are already starting to die. I don't know how much time I have left. <<

„Sasuke! Sasuke! Wait for me! I'm coming! I am so sorry! Please ... please ... just give me a little more time! I‘m coming back!"

>> I wanted to tell you. All that time I wanted to tell you, Naruto. I wanted to tell you what you mean to me. I wanted to tell you to stay with me and now you've been gone for fifty years. I should never have let you go, because now I can neither hear nor feel you. If I hadn't wished to see you, you would still be here. <<

The adult smiled wistfully and leaned his head against the small rock behind him. Another day had passed. Another day the demon hadn't returned.

He regretted so much, and yet it was impossible for him to change anything about these things.

He was gone, his beloved demon.

Naruto's muscles and lungs burned, seemed to be on fire. The blond had been running back the winding paths until the portal that would return him to the human world appeared before his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Naruto but I think ... I can't wait any longer."

"Open up!"

The blonde screamed at the gate from afar.

With a long, powerful jump he broke through the portal and felt the icy, soft snow beneath him the next moment.

Tumbling over, he crashed into one of the huge piles of snow, sticking his head out and looking around panicked.

"Sasuke!"

His clear voice echoed through the cold atmosphere and echoed back just as cool.

His heart in his throat, his eyes darted around in terror.

"Sasuke! Where are you? Sasuke! Sas- "

Naruto paused.

The snow crunched under his feet as he approached the pale body that leaned motionless against the stone on which he had last seen him.

The talisman was empty.

Naruto's blue soul mirrors vibrated in shock as the image burned itself into his mind and the icy wind of that cold winter night whirled around him, making him realize that there was no turning back.

A desperate tremor seized the demon's body before the wet regret ran down his cheeks and the loss finally brought him to his knees.

It was too late.

In this deadly silent night  
snow falls on my outstretched hand  
and as the snow melts on my skin  
you fade  
  
Once more, only once  
Say my name  
Even if I scream now  
my voice cannot reach you anymore.  
  
Forever trapped in a world,  
in which I cannot even say "I love you"  
I quiet down as the snow falls down on me  
like on this day  
Wishing that I understood earlier,  
that time is not endless. __  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hui ....  
> that was .. yes. Wow. I killed myself with my end, even though the end was actually certain from the start. I wanted to write something that makes people aware that time is not endless. Something to see how quickly unexpected things can affect us all.
> 
> I thank everyone of you who read this story and lived with me. Thank you! You have no idea what that means to me and I hope that you will stay with new stories in the future.
> 
> This story has ended and now we just sniff all together about the end.


End file.
